Texas women’s hoops scores Laila Phelia in portal as DeSoto’s own Tionna Herron leaves

The rich get richer, as Texas women’s basketball, the reigning Big 12 champions, adds Michigan star Laila Phelia from the transfer portal. She will join the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation on the roster next season.

The seventh-ranked player in ESPN’s transfer rankings, Phelia led the Wolverines in scoring after averaging 16.8 points on 42.3% shooting her junior season. The 6-foot guard earned both All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Tournament Team honors for her efforts, after making the Second Team her sophomore year and the All-Freshman Team before that. In her freshman year, she helped Michigan to the program’s first Elite Eight after scoring 14 points in the Sweet 16, the second most on the team.

The news comes as several other Longhorns, who finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 7, have entered the portal, including former DeSoto star and center Tionna Herron. Herron started her career at Kentucky but soon after had to undergo heart surgery and did not play. She transferred to Texas before last season to be closer to home, but she did not see much playing time.

She joins teammates 6-foot-4 center Khadija Faye and 6-foot-2 forward DeYona Gaston in the portal, both graduate transfers and both of whom received significant minutes off the bench.

The roster moves come as head coach Vic Schaefer will look to build on the success of this season, which ended after the Longhorns lost to N.C. State in the Elite Eight.

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