text size

Karen Aston New Lady Horns Coach

Updated: Wednesday, April 4 2012, 01:43 AM CDT
Most coaches can find a way to “win the press conference”.  When they are hired, they say all the right things about whatever their school is about to become.

Karen Aston won the press conference Tuesday.  The new UT women’s basketball coach, though, is also winning over more than just the administration, players and fans – with her purpose.

“Roots” and “connections” were the keywords of the day.  Aston spent eight years as an assistant under UT legend Jody Conradt.  Last year she was the head coach at North Texas.

She has just the roots and connections Texas wants.

"Karen has been a winner wherever she's been. She has a great intensity and love for basketball, and she cares about her players and gets the best out of them," Plonsky said. "She's an aggressive recruiter that operates with total integrity, and players that have come through her system have always been impressive with how hard they play. Karen's teams have always found ways to overachieve."

"Texas alumni and fans are familiar with Karen and have a high level of respect for her and what she's accomplished. She comes from the Texas Women's Basketball family, and she is the right person to carry on this the torch," Plonsky added.

“To me, 'Texas' means an incredible sense of pride. That sense of pride was engrained over my eight years here as an assistant," Aston said. "When I moved back to this state last year, part of that reason was to return to the scene of Texas recruiting because I think Texas basketball is some of the very best out there. Being a Longhorn means excellence. It's everything that every young person in this state wants to be."

"You always want to thank those individuals that have had an impact on your growth as a coach and what led you to this point. Jody (Conradt) molded me in my career and I have an enormous amount of respect and love for what she means to this university. My goals and my ambitions are to carry on the tradition of Texas Women's Basketball. I'm excited about the challenge and thrilled to be a part of the storied Texas tradition," added Aston.

After four seasons as head coach at Charlotte (2007-11) and one year as head coach at North Texas (2012), Aston returns to Texas where she originally carved her reputation as an energetic leader and relentless recruiter.
Karen Aston New Lady Horns Coach