The 2023 Division I Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year title has been awarded to Elena Lovato, the Associate Head Coach of the Longhorns, by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC). Rori Harmon, a standout Longhorn player, also received accolades, being named the Division I Women’s Player of the Year.
The TABC, a group comprising over 5,000 coaches from middle schools, high schools, and colleges across Texas, annually bestows these awards to a head coach, assistant coach, and player across all levels of competition. Last year’s TABC Division I Coach of the Year award was conferred to Texas head coach Vic Schaefer.
In the 2022-23 season, Lovato significantly contributed to the Longhorns’ impressive record of 26-10, culminating in their capture of the Big 12 Regular Season Championship, a title they hadn’t held since the 2003-04 season.
Lovato, after working as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Longhorns during the 2020-21 season, returned to the associate head coach position for her second stint in the 2022-23 season. To date, she has contributed to head coach Vic Schaefer’s staff as an assistant for six seasons, including two separate terms at Mississippi State.
Lovato’s contributions were pivotal in assembling Schaefer’s inaugural recruiting class at UT, a group that entered the 2021-22 season as the No. 4 class nationwide according to espnW Hoop Gurlz. This class featured McDonald’s All-Americans Rori Harmon and Aaliyah Moore. The Longhorns’ 2023 recruiting class has also received recognition, ranking No. 8 according to ESPN.
Harmon’s achievements include being named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, an All-Big 12 First Team member, and an All-Big 12 Defensive Team selection. She also received All-America honorable mentions from the Associated Press and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Harmon etched her name into Texas history this season, becoming only the fourth player in program history to achieve a triple-double, which she earned with her 17-point, 11-assist, and 10-rebound game against TCU. She also set a new record for assist average in a single season for Texas with 7.4 assists per game in the 2022-23 season. Harmon’s assist average ranked her fourth in the NCAA, and she, alongside Caitlin Clark, was one of only two players to average at least 11.2 points, 7.4 assists, and 5 rebounds per game.
