Jordan Lee headlines elite Texas women’s basketball signing class

Vic Schaefer added three top-40 recruits to the Longhorns roster.

Texas Longhorns women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer and his Longhorns are heading into the 2024-25 season after being crowned the Big 12 champions and making an Elite Eight run back in March. Schaefer has never been one to rest on his laurels, so he was hard at work on the recruiting trail looking to bolster his roster with more talent to help Texas build off last season’s success.

Help has arrived in Austin in the form of three blue-chip talents that Schaefer and his staff were able to sign in the 2024 recruiting class, all top-50 recruits from three different states (California, Georgia, and Texas) on their way to securing one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

Guard Jordan Lee and forward Justice Carlton are both considered five-star talents by recruiting services, and guard Bryanna Preston is a borderline five-star talent. That is a lot of talent being injected into a roster that is coming off a deep tournament run in March. Today, we will take a look at each signee brings to the table and the expectations they have heading into the season.

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Jordan Lee

Lee is the bell cow of the recruiting class and is rated as a top-10 recruit nationally. Hailing from Stockton, California and attending St. Mary’s, she was named a McDonald’s All-American after averaging 20.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game in the 2022-23 season.

Here is what Schaefer had to say after Lee officially became a Longhorn:

“Jordan Lee is an incredibly talented, big guard who can score at all three levels and can defend 1 through 4,” Schaefer said. “Her toughness and competitive spirit on both ends of the floor are off the chart. She possesses a great basketball IQ, understands the game and is a tireless worker. She is a gym rat. She’s constantly working on her game. She has a sister playing at Sacramento State and her father was an assistant coach at Pan American University. Jordan played for Armando Pazos on Jason Kidd Select and won The Select 40 Championship this past summer. She wants to be a doctor one day, and the resources that we have here at The University of Texas combined with the medical school, will prepare her for that endeavor as well.”

The Longhorns will return their spark plug guard in Rori Harmon in 2024, so adding a talent like Lee could present a very formidable duo as Texas makes its maiden voyage into the SEC.

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Justice Carlton

Carlton is the other five-star talent from the Lady Longhorns’ recruiting class and she was the number one ranked player in the state of Texas for the recruiting cycle. Carlton is the 4th ranked forward nationally and hails from Katy (TX) Seven Lakes. During her senior season at Seven Lakes she averaged a double-double (25 points and 10 rebounds per game) on the way to earning All-State accolades, as well as earning a Naismith All-America Honorable Mention.

Schaefer had some very high praise for Carlton after officially signing her:

“Justice Carlton may be the most physical high school player I’ve seen in a long time,” Schaefer said. ”Her ability to finish with contact is very unusual for a high school player. She punishes defenders as she finishes in and around the rim. She’s worked hard at expanding her game and can face up as well as finish with her back to the basket. Her foot work and ball handling ability will allow her to play both in our dribble drive offense and in pick and roll action. Her mother, Kacy Moffitt was a great player at Baylor and played in the WNBA and has coached her throughout her high school career. She also has a sister on her high school team that plays with her as well. Justice played for Earl Allen and Cy Fair Elite having won the National EYBL Championship a year ago in 2022. Another top 10 rated player that will be great for us here at Texas.”

Schaefer has never been one to hand out praise lightly, so for him to call Carlton one of the most physical players he has seen at the high school level has to be very exciting for Longhorn fans. Carlton’s versatility and physicality bodes well for her ability to contribute at this level.

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Bryanna Preston

Preston is the third and final signee of the recruiting class, and while she doesn’t have the five-star tag like Lee and Carlton, she is still plenty talented. Preston averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game in the 2022-23 season on top of being named Class 6A First Team All-State honors. Preston earned the 6A Best Passer Award in addition to coming up one victory shy of leading her team to back-to-back state championships.

If that’s not exciting enough about Preston, then maybe Schaefer comparing her style of play to current Longhorn Rori Harmon is:

“Bryanna Preston is a lightning-quick guard that can play both the 1 and the 2,” Schaefer said. ”Her speed and quickness are what set her apart from so many. I think what impresses me more than anything is she is able to deliver passes to the right people at the right time in the right place. She has great court vision and is so unselfish. Her ability to defend 94 feet will make countless opponents uncomfortable and will remind our fans a lot of how Rori Harmon defends. Bryanna played for Lisa Normandy on FBC Legacy on the Under Armour Circuit. Her mother Kim played here in town at Crockett High School and went on to play at Southwest Texas State. Again, she will be a great player for us, and a great ambassador for this university.”

To build off that praise from Schaefer, Preston is already impressing after arriving in Austin and appears to be validating the claims from her head coach.