Shay Holle The ‘Glue’ For Texas In Big 12 Tournament Win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the past three seasons, Shay Holle has been Texas’ fix-it player. When something isn’t working, Holle tends to remedy what ails it.
In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal against Kansas, Holle was that player once again for Texas.
“I’ve called her the glue from day one this year, even before Rori (Harmon) was hurt, and she’s still the glue to our team,” Texas coach Vic Schafer said.
Texas was up five points, 48-43, to start the fourth quarter. Texas led throughout the first three quarters but could not pull away from Kansas.
Holle went to work, and Schaefer said it was the difference in the game.
She drained a 3-pointer to start the quarter. After Kansas’ Zakiyah Franklin answered on the other end with a basket, Holle answered with a mid-range jumper of her own. Then, after an empty possession for Kansas, Holle drained another 3-pointer to put Texas up, 56-47.
In less than two minutes Holle scored eight of her 10 points and Texas had the distance it needed from the Jayhawks to advance to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
“I think coach (Schaefer) puts all of us in good positions to score and my teammates saw me,” Holle said. “I didn’t take as many shots as I should have the first half.”
It all feeds into Holle’s “fix-it” narrative at Texas.
Each of the last three seasons Holle has started the season on the bench. At some point, Holle migrates into the starting lineup, whether it be because of injury or chemistry, and things start to click.
Back in 2021-22, she and DeYona Gaston moved into the starting lineup in February and Texas went on a run to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Then, last season, Holle moved into the starting lineup after an injury to Sonya Morris and excelled once again.
This year she moved into the starting lineup just before the start of Big 12 play. After the injury to All-Big 12 guard Rori Harmon, Holle’s play took on added importance.
She fits in at Texas, Schaefer said, because Holle is the same every day.
“I know what I’m gonna get from Shay,” Schaefer said. “She’s a happy kid. She’s smiling. She works extremely hard. She never has a bad day. I never have to motivate her to play hard.”
Later, Holle showed why Schafer has so much trust in his fourth-year guard. Shaylee Gonzales attempted a 3-pointer from one end of the arc and missed. Holle sped in from the other end of the court to corral the rebound. She took her own shot but missed again. But Aaliyah Moore grabbed her own rebound, drew a foul and made two free throws.
Without Holle’s rebound there were no free throws. She didn’t score, but she helped Texas score two more points.
Those are the intangible things that keep Holle on the floor every single night for Texas — and why Schaefer can’t take her off the floor.
It also why Schaefer said he’s going to follow Holle’s life long after she leaves Texas.
“She’s just a winner,” Schaefer said. “I don’t know what company she’s gonna own or start, but I’m investing in it because she’s gonna be successful, no matter where she goes, no matter what she does.”
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
