The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was one of those scary moments that no player would like to go through. But when Texas Longhorns’ senior guard Lashann Higgs went down with her injury, she knew it was bad.

The Harbour Island native suffered what was diagnosed as a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in her left knee.

On a drive to the basket with six minutes and 55 seconds left in the first half of their first game of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Friday against Quinnipiac, Higgs collapsed to the floor, grimacing in excruciating pain.

“When I went down, I knew it was bad,” Higgs told The Tribune in an exclusive interview. “I’ve seen what happened to other players and it just flashed across my mind.”

In nine minutes in her starting role, Higgs was shooting 2-for-4 from the field and 1-for-1 from both the three-point and free throw lines for six points. She also had three rebounds and four turnovers.

Despite losing Higgs, the Longhorns, ranked at No.10, went on to win the game 56-55 and eventually the Gulf Coast Showcase title with victories over Michigan and Fordham. “I really wanted to be there for the team, but I guess I now have to do whatever I can to help them out from the sidelines,” she insisted.

Higgs was averaging 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds through the Longhorns’ first four games. In her second game, she poured in a game high 20 points to become the 44th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

She now has compiled a 1,004 career points following Texas’ 64-54 win over North Texas at The Super Pit in Denton, Texas. It was her sixth career 20-point performance and her second in two games this season.

“You don’t go out there to get the records, you just play the game and try to help your team win,” said a modest Higgs. “My team-mates fed me the ball and I just took advantage of it.

“I was very thrilled when I found out that I achieved the mark. But it wasn’t something that I really went out to do. I just wanted to do whatever it took to help my team win.

As the Longhorns went on to win the Gulf Coast Showcase title on Sunday with a 72-54 triumph as Higgs walked on crutches with a knee brace, Texas remained undefeated at 6-0.

Higgs, who moved from the Bahamas in grade seven at the age of 14 to complete high school, lost her mother, Romilly in September, 2013. She was adopted into the home of George (an assistant coach at Texas) and Jackie (former professional player), who welcomed her with open arms to her new siblings (George Jr, Jackson and Jayden).

Today, Higgs said she’s grateful to all of the support she has received in her quest to become the next Bahamian to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association after Grand Bahamian Jonquel Jones and Waltiea Rolle.

Coming off an All-Big 12 Conference Second-Team selection and member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in her junior year last year, Higgs was anticipating stellar season this year.

She started all 35 games for the Longhorns, averaging 25.0 minutes per game with 12.8 points, the third ranked on the team, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

During the season, Higgs scored in double figures on 21 occasions, including 20-plus point performances. She also had two or more steals in 17 games.

She also scored a game high 20 points with a season-high seven rebounds snd three assists in 33 minutes of play as they lost to No. 2/3 Baylor in the championship game of the Big 12 Conference Tournament on March 5.

This year was to the culmination of a great career for Higgs, who is majoring in youth and community studies and was on the Big 12 Commission’s Honor Roll last year.

“I was really looking forward to this year,” said Higgs, who had aspirations of entering the WNBA draft next year. “I know it’s going to be tough.

“But I have to endure it and get ready for rehab and hopefully my comeback next year. It’s hard not to be playing anymore this season.”

Higgs, who is still having some tests done to determine whether or not she will be required to have surgery, left some encouraging words to the Bahamian public who might have been concerned about her condition.

“There are things that happen that we will never understand why,” she stated. “Just know that God has a plan and you have to trust his plan no matter what or how hard it is.

“There are times when it’s going to be rocky and there are times when you are going to fall, but you have to trust him to lift you up so that you can come back stronger and better.”

As she look forward to making a comeback, Higgs said she believe “it’s not over until God said it’s over.”

She hope to return for her fifth year at Texas next year to complete the job that she didn’t this year.