Texas Longhorns women's basketball
The Texas Longhorns women's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate women's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.
The team has long been a national power in women's basketball. Under head coach Jody Conradt, the second NCAA Division I basketball coach to win 900 career games, the Longhorns won the 1986 national championship. Conradt retired after the 2006–07 season, and was replaced by Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors. Goestenkors resigned after five seasons as head coach and was replaced by Karen Aston following the end of the 2011–12 season. Aston’s contract was not renewed following the end of the 2019–20 season. In April 2020, Vic Schaefer was announced as the new head coach.
Since 1977, Texas women's basketball has played its home games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center, where the team has compiled a 399–76 record as of March 5, 2008.
History
held its first basketball competition in 1900, six years before Magnus Mainland started the men's team at Texas. The games in the first few years were intramural. By 1906, the school was playing other institutions, although only home games, not off-campus. Full varsity intercollegiate competition in women's basketball began in 1974. The Longhorns rank fifth in total victories and seventh in all-time win percentage among all NCAA Division I women's college basketball programs, with an all-time win-loss record of 1012–372.The Longhorns have won 22 total conference championships in women's basketball and have made 29 total appearances in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the NCAA Final Four three times and the NCAA Regional Finals nine times. Texas won the 1986 NCAA Championship to finish the 1985–86 season with a win-loss record of 34–0. As of April 6, 2016, Texas ranks fourteenth in all-time NCAA Tournament victories, trailing Tennessee, Connecticut, Stanford, Louisiana Tech, Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Purdue, LSU, Maryland, Baylor, and Vanderbilt.
Early years (1900–1966)
The very first women's basketball games occurred in 1892, at Smith College, under the direction of Senda Berenson Abbott. Shortly thereafter, Clara Baer brought the game to Louisiana. The details of how the game came to Texas is not known for certain, but in 1900, Eleanore Norvell organized the first basketball game at the University of Texas. Norvell was originally from Oklahoma, and came to Texas to direct the physical education department. She has been at Texas for less than a year when she introduced basketball to students at the school. The first recorded game occurred on Saturday January 13, 1900. The teams played four ten-minute quarters—the final score of that first game was 3–2.Although the men's game and women's game both had their roots in the Naismith rules, the first set of rules left a lot to be specified, and the rules for the women's game developed differently than for the men. Both Senda Berensen and Clara Baer used Naismith's rules as an inspiration, but developed their own set of rules, including marked areas on the court limiting the movement of players to their respective sections. Some of these rules were motivated by the prevailing assumptions of "female frailty and dependence".
Texas would play limited intercollegiate basketball between 1903 and 1921. Eunice Aden was captain of the basketball team in 1903, took over coaching duties in 1905 and became director of physical education in 1911. Opportunities in basketball grew, but only in a limited way. Intercollegiate play existed, but the school did not allow off-campus games. When Aden retired in 1921, she was replaced by Anna Hiss, who would run the physical education department until 1957. While she was called a visionary for her role in directing physical education and intramurals, she was "dead-set against intercollegiate athletics for women". The limited intercollegiate play under Aden came to an end, with basketball now limited to intramurals and interclass play.
The ascension of Hiss to the head of the department roughly coincided with the influence of Lou Henry Hoover, First Lady of the United States. In 1923, Hoover was head of the Girl Scouts of the United States. Although Hoover was an advocate of sports, she felt that highly competitive sports were detrimental. Hoover helped to found the Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Foundation. This foundation passed a resolution in 1925 banning extramural competition. The following year, Hiss formed an organization which voted "condemn intercollegiate competition for women, and to endorse the intramural/interclass model".
Hiss supported many activities, including tennis, golf, archery, swimming and interpretive dance, but was opposed to team sports. In general, "artistry was favored over athleticism". She led an unsuccessful protest against American woman participation in the Olympics of 1928, 1932, and 1936. She was the driving force behind the construction of a Women's Gymnasium. While it was a substantial resource for women's athletics, it was designed to fit her beliefs—the courts were too small for a proper basketball game, and had no room for spectators and the swimming pool was deliberately shorter than Olympic length.
While basketball was not officially supported as a school-sponsored sport in the 1920s and 30s, it was still played by many groups. The interclass games were de-emphasized, but fraternities and sororities played the game, as well as organizations such as the YWCA, industrial leagues and AAU teams.
Intermediate years (1967–1974)
After Hiss's departure, basketball at Texas began to grow, although it would be almost a decade until it became a full varsity sport. The University of Texas Sports Association a predecessor to the athletic department, organized the sports available for women. Basketball was not one of the club sports offered until a student, Mary Neikirk, organized a petition which was presented to the administration. The school agreed to add basketball as a club sport under the auspices of the UTSA.The first year's budget was $100. A team was formed, and the team played under the girl's rules of the era—six players on a team, two of whom stayed at the defensive end, two of whom stayed in the offensive end and two, called "rovers" who could play both ends. These rules were used until 1971, at which time they switched to "boy's rules".
In 1973, the team practiced and played in the annex of Gregory Gymnasium. Rod Page, who had some experience as a women's basketball assistant coach, was a referee at one of the games. When the current coach of the team quit, Page was hired. The Texas team, in Pages' first year, compiled a record of 7–11.
The 1974 season was a season of transition, with a mixture of firsts and lasts. This year's team was the first to play their games in Gregory Gymnasium itself, rather than the annex. This was the first year the team had trainers, and it was the first year that the Longhorn Band and cheerleaders performed for the team. It was their last year under the auspices of the UTSA. It was the last year before the sport attained the status of a full varsity sport.
Title IX was passed in 1972, with a provision prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. At the time it was passed, it was unknown what impact it would have on sports, including whether it even applied to intercollegiate sports. Two years, later, in 1974, the issue wasn't yet settled, with the Tower Amendment specifically excluding revenue-producing sports, but shortly thereafter, the Tower Amendment was eliminated. It was becoming clear that universities would have to respond sooner or later, but Texas responded in 1974. Shortly after the conclusion of the 1974 basketball season, Stephen Spurr, the University president, announced that a women's athletic department would be started, complete with offices, staff and a budget of $50,000.
Rod Page years (1974–1976)
Some schools waited for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to provide specific regulations covering Title IX. These regulations would not be published until 1975. In 1974, Texas began offering varsity sports opportunities to female students in seven sports. In some ways, the University of Texas program became the envy of women at other schools, but the initial progress was relative. Two-thirds of the male athletes at Texas were on scholarship, while only one in fifteen female students were on scholarship. There were 21 male coach positions, almost all full-time, but seven women's coaches who were all part-time.Under Pages' leadership, the team improved upon their prior year results, with a record of 17–10. The team started out strong, winning their first five games, including an overtime win against Houston 63–62, before running into Baylor, who won easily 116–62. Some of the games were played as preliminaries to the men's games, but others were stand-alone games.
They would also lose their next game to Southwest Texas, on a night when fundraiser was held, with an exhibition match between UT All-Stars and the All American Red Heads Team, a barnstorming team of female basketball players. The team earned an invitation to the Texas AIAW post season tournament, as a second seed behind Southwest Texas. The tournament schedule required five games in three days. The Texas team did well, except against Southwest Texas, ending up with 17 victories against 10 losses, five of which were to Southwest Texas.
The following season, Texas team would achieve even more. The basketball team added Retha Swindell, a 6' 2" rebounder with defensive skills. The school also hired Donna Lopiano, who started what would become a 17-year stint as women's athletic director. She "vowed to have every Longhorn women's team in the top 10 and at least one national title within five years". While the school was expressing a commitment to women's varsity sports, not everyone was supportive. The football coach, Darrell Royal, had told President Ford that "Title IX might be the death of big-time college football.". Despite that concern, she managed to convince him to support her during her interview.
The team's first game was against Southwest Texas, the team that had defeated Texas five times in the previous season. This time, Texas would prevail 57–47 in a game held at their arena. The team lost three in a row as a result of sickness and injury, then responded with a twelve-game winning streak. The team would go on to a 21–7 season record.
Under Rod Page, the team had improved materially, so it was a surprise that when the Longhorns completed their regular season, and prepared for the post-season tournament, athletic director Lopiano announced he would not be continuing as coach of the team. The news came as a shock to Page and the team. The reason given was that the position was a head coach of basketball and volleyball—Page did not have volleyball experience. However, Lopiano had her eye on another coach, one she felt could lead the team to become a national contender.
, head coach from 1976 to 2007
Jody Conradt era (1976–2007)
Lopiano's choice was Jody Conradt, who was garnering national attention as the head coach at the University of Texas at Arlington. She turned a losing program around, and the 1975–76 team would compile a 23–11 record, despite materially strengthening their schedule of opponents at the same time. Two days after announcing that Page would not be returning, Lopiano announced that Conradt would be the coach starting with the next season. Conradt wasn't surprised that the team felt loyalty to Page, but she asked them to "have an open mind".The first season under Conradt had a schedule of 46 games. The schedule included games in northeast USA, the first out-of-state trip for the team, and the first airplane ride for many of the players. To save money, the team stayed at the home of Lopiano's parents in Stamford Connecticut. Texas lost badly to Queens College, then ranked #15 in the nation, but went on to the Penn State Invitational where they beat Penn State and Southern Connecticut, at that time a national power. Mel Greenberg, the organizer of the first top 25 women's poll, was in attendance. By the time the team returned to Austin, they learned of their first national ranking at #14. The team would complete their first season under Conradt with a record of 36–10.
Conradt coached both basketball and volleyball, but would give up volleyball duties after two seasons. The team would go on to become the dominant women's basketball team on the 1980s, ranked in the AP top ten all but one year between 1979 and 1990.
Texas would end the 1984 and 1985 seasons with the number one ranking according to the AP ranking service, but failed to win the national championship both years. In 1984, they suffered injuries, in 1985, they went 28–3, but were upset in the NCAA tournament by Western Kentucky. 1986 would end differently. Again they achieved the AP #1 ranking, but they also went on to win every single game, achieving a record of 34–0, and posting the first undefeated season in women's basketball during the NCAA era and the fourth undefeated season in women's college basketball overall.
Facilities
Gregory Gymnasium
Originally built in 1930, Gregory Gymnasium was named after its main advocate and planner, Thomas Watt Gregory. An alumnus of the University, Gregory served on the University's Board of Regents and as United States Attorney General before the gym was built. Gregory Gymnasium is located on the UT central campus, a short distance southeast of the UT Main Building, Tower, and Main Mall and facing west onto Speedway Avenue, the campus's central north–south street.The Texas women's basketball team played home games in the Gregory Gymnasium annex in the 1972–73 season and then in the Gymnasium itself beginning with the 1973–74 season until moving into the Special Events Center for the 1977–78 season.
Frank Erwin Center
The Texas women's basketball team opened the Frank Erwin Center on November 29, 1977 with a 67–64 victory over Temple College.Built for a total cost of $34 million, the building is named for former UT alumnus and Board of Regents member Frank Erwin. Originally known as the Special Events Center, the facility was renamed in 1981 to honor Erwin, who had died earlier that year. The Erwin Center is located at the southeastern corner of the UT central campus and is bounded on the east by Interstate 35.
A two-level layout currently accommodates up to 16,540 spectators for basketball games. UT undertook extensive renovations of the facility from 2001 to 2003 at a cost of $55 million, adding, among other things, new and renovated seating, new video and sound systems, new lighting, and 28 suites. As part of the project, UT constructed the Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, a state-of-the-art practice and training facility that sits adjacent to the Erwin Center.
The master plan released in 2013 for the University's new Dell Medical School indicated that the Erwin Center would be demolished in a later phase of construction within 6–15 years. No decisions have yet been made as to the location and layout of the arena that will replace the Erwin Center.
Denton A. Cooley Pavilion
Built during the final phase of the renovation of the Erwin Center, the Denton A. Cooley Pavilion opened in the fall of 2003. The two-level, 44,000-square-foot building sits adjacent to the Erwin Center and serves as a state-of-the-art practice and training facility for the Texas men's and women's basketball teams. The Pavilion is named for Dr. Denton A. Cooley, a UT alumnus, basketball letterman, and pioneering heart surgeon.The Texas men's and women's basketball teams have separate 9,000-square-foot practice court areas, each consisting of one full-court and one half-court practice area with seven basket stations. The practice facility also includes a locker room with a players' lounge, an instructional film theater, a 4,100-square-foot strength and conditioning area, an athletic training and hydrotherapy area, an academic resource and activity center, and a coaches' lounge and locker room.
The Cooley Pavilion will be demolished and replaced during the same phase of construction of the Dell Medical School as the Erwin Center. As with the Erwin Center, no decisions have been made as to the location or features of the replacement basketball practice and training facility.
Year-by-year results
- As of end of April 7, 2020
Championships
Conference championships
Postseason
NCAA Tournament results
Texas has appeared in the NCAA Tournament on 31 occasions. The Longhorns' overall record in the Tournament is 40–30.| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Results |
| 1983 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Louisville Kansas State Louisiana Tech | W 84–55 W 73–70 L 58–72 | |
| 1984 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Drake Louisiana-Monroe Louisiana Tech | W 96–60 W 99–91 L 60–85 | |
| 1985 | First Round Sweet Sixteen | Western Michigan Western Kentucky | W 84–62 L 90–92 | |
| 1986 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | Missouri Oklahoma Mississippi Western Kentucky Southern California | W 108–67 W 85–59 W 66–63 W 90–65 W 97–81 | |
| 1987 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | St. Joseph's James Madison Rutgers Louisiana Tech | W 86–56 W 91–57 W 85–77 L 75–79 | |
| 1988 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | South Carolina Stanford Louisiana Tech | W 77–58 W 79–58 L 80–83OT | |
| 1989 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Montana UNLV Maryland | W 83–54 W 88–77 L 71–79 | |
| 1990 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Ohio State North Carolina State Louisiana Tech | W 95–66 W 72–63 L 57–71 | |
| 1991 | First Round | Lamar | L 63–77 | |
| 1992 | Second Round | UCLA | L 81–82 | |
| 1993 | First Round | Louisiana Tech | L 78–82 | |
| 1994 | First Round Second Round | Oklahoma State Seton Hall | W 75–67 L 66–71 | |
| 1996 | First Round Second Round | Missouri State Kansas | W 73–55 L 70–77 | |
| 1997 | First Round Second Round | Texas State Notre Dame | W 66–38 L 83–86 | |
| 1999 | First Round | Auburn | L 61–69 |
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Results |
| 2000 | First Round | St. Joseph's | L 48–69 | |
| 2001 | First Round | St. Mary's | L 64–68 | |
| 2002 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | Wisconsin–Green Bay UC Santa Barbara Duke | W 60–55 W 76–60 L 46–62 | |
| 2003 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | Hampton Arkansas Minnesota LSU Connecticut | W 90–46 W 67–50 W 73–60 W 78–60 L 69–71 | |
| 2004 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | Southern Michigan State LSU | W 92–57 W 80–61 L 55–71 | |
| 2005 | First Round Second Round | Oral Roberts Georgia | W 64–47 L 68–70 | |
| 2008 | First Round Second Round | Minnesota Connecticut | W 72–55 L 55–89 | |
| 2009 | First Round | Mississippi State | L 63–71 | |
| 2010 | First Round | San Diego State | L 63–74 | |
| 2011 | First Round | Marquette | L 65–68 | |
| 2012 | First Round | West Virginia | L 55–68 | |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Penn Maryland | W 71–68 L 64–69 | |
| 2015 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | Western Kentucky California Connecticut | W 66–64 W 73–70 L 54–105 | |
| 2016 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Alabama State Missouri UCLA Connecticut | W 86–42 W 73–55 W 72–64 L 65–86 | |
| 2017 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | Central Arkansas North Carolina State Stanford | W 78–50 W 84–80 L 66–77 | |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | Maine Arizona State UCLA | W 83–54 W 85–65 L 75–84 |
NCAA Tournament seeding history
The NCAA has seeded the Tournament since its inaugural year in 1982. Texas participated in the final AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament in 1982 rather than the inaugural NCAA Tournament ; the Longhorns began participating in the NCAA Tournament in 1983. Texas has appeared in 31 of the 36 Tournaments held since 1983.| Years → | '83 | '84 | '85 | '86 | '87 | '88 | '89 | '90 | '91 | '92 | '93 | '94 | '96 | '97 | '99 | '00 | '01 | '02 | '03 | '04 | '05 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 |
| Seeds → | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
AP and Coaches Polls
Texas has been ranked in at least one of the final AP or Coaches Polls in 27 seasons since their introduction prior to the 1976–77 and 1985–86 seasons, respectively. The Longhorns have recorded 14 top-ten finishes and 10 top-five finishes in one or more of the final polls. As of March 2, 2017, Texas teams have been ranked in 518 of 727 total weekly AP Polls since the inception of the poll in the 1976–77 season, and in 383 of 596 total weekly Coaches Polls since the inception of the poll in the 1985–86 season.All-time series records
All-time series records against Big 12 members
Texas women's basketball leads the all-time series against all Big 12 Conference opponents but Iowa State.All-time series records against former Big 12 members
Texas women's basketball leads the all-time series against all former Big 12 Conference opponents. Texas holds a winning record against all former Big 12 members in games played in Big 12 competition.All-time series records against non-Big 12 former SWC members
Texas leads all series against former Southwest Conference members who are not current members of the Big 12.Individual honors, awards, and accomplishments
Retired numbers
The Longhorns retired their first number in program history on September 7, 2019. Kamie Ethridge’s number 33 was officially retired at halftime of a Texas–LSU football game, becoming the first female Longhorn athlete to receive this honor.Clarissa Davis's number 24 was retired on March 8, 2020, at a pre-game ceremony during the Texas-Oklahoma State Women's Basketball game.
Honors, awards, and accomplishments by player
The individual honors, awards, and accomplishments listed in the succeeding subsections are aggregated by player in the following table. Players with only all-conference honors or lower than first-team All-America honors are not included.| Name | Position | Seasons | Notes |
| Ariel Atkins | G | 2015–18 | 2018 second WNBA All-Defensive Team 2018 WNBA All-Rookie Team 2018 WNBA draft 1st Round, 7th pick—Washington Mystics Two-time first-team All-Big 12 guard |
| Imani Boyette | C | 2013–16 | 2016 WNBA All-Rookie Team 2016 WNBA draft 1st Round, 10th pick—Chicago Sky 2016 Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year Two-time first-team All-Big 12 center 2013 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Edwina Brown | F | 1997–2000 | 2000 WNBA draft 1st Round, 3rd pick—Detroit Shock 2000 National Player of the Year 2000 first-team All-American forward 1999 second-team All-American forward Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward |
| Edna Campbell | G | 1990–91 | 1999 WNBA draft 1st Round, 10th pick—Phoenix Mercury Two-time first-team All-SWC guard |
| Jamie Carey | PG | 2003–05 | 2005 WNBA draft 3rd Round, 5th pick —Phoenix Mercury Two-time first-team All-Big 12 guard |
| Clarissa Davis | F | 1986–89 | Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member 1999 WNBA draft 2nd Round, 10th pick —Phoenix Mercury 1992 Olympic bronze medalist 1989 National Player of the Year 1987 National Player of the Year Two-time first-team All-American forward 1989 Southwest Conference Player of the Year Three-time first-team All-SWC forward 1986 Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Nneka Enemkpali | F | 2012–15 | 2015 WNBA draft 3rd Round, 2nd pick —Seattle Storm 2014 first-team All-Big 12 forward |
| Kamie Ethridge | PG | 1983–86 | Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member 1988 Olympic gold medalist 1986 National Player of the Year Two-time first-team All-American guard Three-time first-team All-SWC guard |
| Fran Harris | G | 1983–86 | 1985 Southwest Conference Player of the Year Three-time first-team All-SWC guard |
| Tiffany Jackson | F | 2004–07 | 2007 WNBA draft 1st round, 5th pick—New York Liberty 2005 first-team All-American forward Three-time first-team All-Big 12 forward 2004 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Andrea Lloyd | F | 1984–87 | Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member 1999 WNBA draft 3rd round, 7th pick —Minnesota Lynx 1988 Olympic gold medalist Three-time first-team All-American forward 1987 Southwest Conference Player of the Year Four-time first-team All-SWC forward 1984 Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Brooke McCarty | PG | 2015–18 | 2018 third-team All-American guard Three-time first-team All-Big 12 guard 2017 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year |
| Heather Schreiber | F | 2002–05 | 2005 WNBA draft 3rd Round, 13th pick —Los Angeles Sparks Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward 2002 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year |
| Annette Smith | F | 1982–84, 1986 | Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member 1984 first-team All-American forward Two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year Two-time first-team All-SWC forward |
| Stacy Stephens | F | 2001–04 | 2004 WNBA draft 3rd Round, 11 pick —Houston Comets 2004 second-team All-American forward 2003 third-team All-American forward Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward |
| Beverly Williams | G | 1985–88 | 1988 first-team All-American guard Two-time first-team All-SWC guard |
| Yulonda Wimbish | SG/SF | 1985–88 | 1988 Southwest Conference Player of the Year 1988 first-team All-SWC guard/forward |
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Four Longhorn women's basketball players have been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.National honors and awards (players)
National Player of the Year
Three Texas players have won one or more of the widely recognized National Player of the Year awards on four occasions.All-America honors
Eleven Texas basketball players have received All-America honors on 19 occasions. Seven Texas players have received first-team All-America honors in 11 seasons, with two Longhorn players having been selected as a first-team All-American twice and one player having been selected three times.Conference honors and awards (players)
Conference Player of the Year
Five Texas players have won conference player of the year honors on six occasions—all in the Southwest Conference. One Longhorn player has won Big 12 Player of the Year honors, and two players have won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.First-team all-conference honors
Twenty-five Texas women's basketball players have received first-team all-conference honors on 48 occasions. Of these 25 players, ten have received first-team all-conference honors in two seasons, five players have received them in three seasons, and one player has received them in all four seasons.First-team All-Southwest Conference
First-team All-Big 12 Conference
Freshman Player of the Year
Ten Longhorn freshmen women's basketball players have won conference freshman of the year honors—six players in the Southwest Conference and four players in the Big 12 Conference.Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year
Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year
Conference tournament most valuable player
Eight Longhorn women's basketball players have won conference tournament most valuable player honors on nine occasions.Southwest Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Big 12 Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player
Professional basketball
WNBA Draft history
As of April 12, 2018, 14 Longhorn women's basketball players have been selected in the WNBA Draft since the inaugural draft in 1997. Of these, five were selected in the first round, one was selected in the second round, six were selected in the third round, and two were selected in the fourth round.| Year | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Team |
| 1997 | 4 | 8 | 32 | Catarina Pollini | Houston Comets |
| 1998 | 4 | 3 | 33 | Angela Jackson | Washington Mystics |
| 1999 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Edna Campbell | Phoenix Mercury |
| 1999 | 2 | 10 | 22 | Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil | Phoenix Mercury |
| 1999 | 3 | 7 | 31 | Andrea Lloyd | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2000 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Edwina Brown | Detroit Shock |
| 2004 | 3 | 11 | 37 | Stacy Stephens1 | Houston Comets |
| 2005 | 3 | 5 | 31 | Jamie Carey2 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2005 | 3 | 13 | 39 | Heather Schreiber | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2007 | 1 | 5 | 5 | Tiffany Jackson | New York Liberty |
| 2010 | 3 | 9 | 33 | Brittainey Raven | Atlanta Dream |
| 2015 | 3 | 2 | 26 | Nneka Enemkpali | Seattle Storm |
| 2016 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Imani Boyette | Chicago Sky |
| 2018 | 1 | 7 | 77 | Ariel Atkins | Washington Mystics |
WNBA players
As of the 2019 WNBA season, 19 Texas players have played in the WNBA in league history. Three Longhorn players currently play in the WNBA.All-time WNBA players
Current WNBA players
American Basketball League (1996–98) players
Six Longhorn players played in the ABL.All-time ABL players