The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Lashann Higgs was one of four seniors recognised by the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball programme on Senior Day as she brings her tenure with the programme to a close in the upcoming month.

The Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 63-52 in Higgs’ final regular season home game at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

The fifth year senior and Harbour Island native reflected on her time with the programme with Longhorn TV.

“As a freshman, you think this is going to take forever but then when it finally gets there it’s a bittersweet moment because you want to see what else is out there for you but at the same time this is something you’ve been around for four years and in my case five years. I would consider it to be a very blessed moment because I got to finish what I started and I feel like that’s a big moment for me personally because it’s just something I’m proud of for accomplishing,” she said, “I would hope that my legacy is not so much to basketball, I would hope I leave one to keep fighting in any area of life and to be that light for others however that may be.”

In November 2018, Higgs was diagnosed with a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee. Through three games, she was averaging 16.3 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 56 percent shooting from the field before the season ending injury. Despite her limited time on the floor, she became the 44th player in Texas history to reach the 1000 point plateau when she scored 20 points in a 64-54 win over North Texas.

In the offseason, The Big 12 approved a hardship waiver for Higgs, making her eligible to return to the Longhorns for a fifth season.

Higgs entered her senior season projected to be one of the top players in the Big 12 conference and was named to the 10-member Preseason All-Big 12 Team. She came off a junior season where she claimed All-Big 12 Second Team, Big 12 All-Defensive Team, USWBA National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week.

“It can be very difficult especially as a person who got injured at the peak of your game, you just begin to realise that this is just life, and it probably won’t be the last time that something difficult will come around. It’s something you have to want and something you have to fight through. Sometimes you’re in the moment and you don’t realise how much a setback can actually be a blessing. That’s how I think of my injury because it allowed me to grow much more mentally and it has prepared me a lot more mentally as well. In the moment, you don’t think about what you need to work on as a player but as a person and this injury allowed me to reflect on that. “

Though sidelined, Higgs received her third selection to the Academic All-Big 12 Teams. She was one of just eight student-athletes in the conference to have at least three selections.

In 28 games this season, including nine starts, Higgs has averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She scored a season high 19 points off the bench in a 66 - 60 win over the then No. 17 Tenesseee Volunteers, December 8 on the road in Knoxville, Tennessee.

As a junior, she started 35 games and averaged 12.8 points per game, which ranked third on the team, 3.3 rebounds per game and was third on the squad with 1.4 steals per game. Scored in double figures on 21 occasions, including four 20-plus point performances.

In her sophomore season, Higgs - the Harbour Island native - averaged eight points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal in just over 17 minutes per game.

She built upon the numbers from her freshman season when she averaged 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 13.2 minutes

She came to the Longhorns eralded as the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and was consensus All-American at Cedar Ridge High School (Round Rock, Texas). She emerged as the No. 7-ranked player overall and third-ranked guard in the class of 2015, according to ESPN.com.

Higgs averaged 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game in her senior season for a Cedar Ridge team that reached the third round of the University Interscholastic League’s Class 6A playoffs in Texas.

Her list of accolades at the high school level included the USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA First-Team and the Max Preps Girls Basketball All-American Second-Team.

Higgs’ list of honours for the 2014-15 season also included a Naismith Trophy top-five finalist, Naismith Trophy All-America First Team, McDonald’s All-American, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American, USA Today ALL-USA First Team, Austin American-Statesman Central, Texas Player of the Year, Jordan Brand Classic, Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 6A All-State and University Interscholastic League District 13-6A MVP.