Texas freshman Madison Booker leading the No. 10 Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas freshman Madison Booker was supposed to spend this season as the talented sidekick to Longhorns’ star guard Rori Harmon.

They were shaping up to be quite the duo: the 5-foot-6 Harmon’s bouncy speed, playmaking and defense balanced by the 6-foot-1 Booker’s size, creativity and shot-making. They combined for 47 points in a win over UConn on Dec. 3.

That was before a knee injury ended Harmon’s season and forced Booker, one of the top recruits in the country in 2023, to step up as band leader for the No. 10 Longhorns.

In the three games since Booker moved from her natural position at forward to point guard, Texas is 2-1 with Booker averaging 19.6 points and 7.6 assists. The Longhorns (14-1, 1-1 Big 12) play at No. 24 West Virginia (13-0, 2-0) on Saturday.

She has the ball-handling and passing skills. Now comes the leadership part. The learning curve is steep and short.

“The point guard position is the hardest on the court,” Booker said. “Watching Rori do it, she makes it look easy.”

Booker can do the same. After a rough start in her Big 12 debut against Baylor that saw her briefly benched by coach Vic Schaefer, Booker scored 25 points and had nine assists in a tough 85-79 loss.

Baylor coach Nicki Collen was impressed.

“Put her in national freshman of the year conversation, because ‘Wow!’ ” said Collen, who was familiar with Booker’s play at the youth levels with USA Basketball, where she won world titles on the under-17 and under-19 teams.

“She was a power forward for USA Basketball and was really effective. Now to say, ‘Here, you’re the point guard, Rori is out.’” Collen said.

Booker was already handling some point guard duties this season but those minutes were limited because Harmon rarely left the court. She was a little overwhelmed by the speed of the game in the opening minutes against Baylor, which bolted to a 13-point lead and had Booker spinning.

“It’s one thing to hang out on the wing and let Rori deal with it. It’s another thing to be in the middle of the flame. That’s where she was,” Schaefer said.

Booker settled down when Harmon approached her on the bench. Harmon told her to take a deep breath and relax.

“She showed maturity and an incredible competitive spirit,” Schaefer said of Booker. “That’s what it takes to play for me.”

Booker said she came out of the loss a better and more confident player.

“(Harmon) is telling me this is my team now,” Booker said.

The burden to carry the Longhorns will only grow from here. Texas has also played three consecutive games without forward Taylor Jones, who was averaging 16.2 points and is the team’s leading shot blocker.

Booker’s size and strength make her a tough perimeter matchup for smaller defenders. Her assist count the last three games shows she already reads the floor like a veteran.

“I’ve not had a point guard like her, a big bodied (player),” Schaefer said. “Madison is different.”

Defense is still a work in progress. Harmon was a disruptor on the ball and the Big 12 defensive player of the year last season. Booker can’t match her quickness, but will learn how to be the help defender Harmon was, Schaefer said.

“It’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s about finding a new way to crank that wheel and turn it,” Schaefer said. “Her basketball IQ is off the charts. … That kid is going to be great because she wants to be great.”

The Longhorns entered this season with a goal of winning the Big 12 title in the program’s last season in the league. Texas goes to the Southeastern Conference next season.

Big 12 teams may want to get their shot at Texas now before Booker completely settles in. Texas Tech missed its chance Wednesday night when the Longhorns won a rout on the road 74-47.

“We’re a bit wounded right now, but ain’t nobody calling me to saying hey, let’s put it off,” Schaefer said. ”They probably smell blood in the water so we have to get ready to go play.”