From texassports:
Arriving on The Forty Acres to represent The University of Texas might seem daunting for freshman student-athletes – the history, success and tradition of the programs and the student-athletes that came before them are well documented.
But for Texas Women's Basketball's Shay Holle, being a Longhorn is the fostering of a family legacy.
Holle was born into a Longhorn family. Her father, Eric, was a defensive lineman at UT in the early 1980s before playing five seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. Shay feels right at home representing Texas and donning the Burnt Orange.
"Some of my earliest memories are of going to Longhorn football games, sitting on my dad's shoulders as we walked into the stadium," Shay recalled. "It was something I looked forward to all week, getting a chance to go to the game and be part of everything that came with it, seeing people wearing Longhorn gear and burnt orange outfits and the excitement of the game. There are pictures of me in little UT cheerleading outfits from when I could barely walk."
Shay was a standout guard at Westlake High School in Austin, earning accolades as a three-time Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 6A All-State selection and two-time District 25-6A Most Valuable Player, as well as the Austin American-Statesman's All-Centex Player of the Year in 2020.
She received interest from many of the programs in the nation, but once she received the offer from Texas there was no question where she would be continuing her playing career.
"There really was no decision to make, I did not hesitate. I always wanted to be a Longhorn and accepted almost right away," Shay said. "Texas was my dream school and having been around UT for so much of my life, it feels like I already have a family here."
The choice of Texas was an easy one for Shay and it certainly filled Eric with a great deal of pride when she chose to be a Longhorn.
"It's such a special, special place and we always kind of hoped Texas would come around, and even though that's where my wife and I wanted her to go there, we didn't want to put any kind of pressure on her, we wanted her to make that decision for herself," Eric said. "It was something that we talked about and dreamed about for a long time. She's been going to Longhorn games since she was four years old, and we thought about it but never really knew it could be a reality. When she was offered, we were very excited and thankful."
While Shay's father instilled in her a passion for the Texas Longhorns, her athletic skills clearly run in the family. Her mother, Michelle, played softball at Blinn College and Angelo State University, and her older twin sisters Brooke and Bailey just concluded their collegiate basketball careers at Texas State.
Having a family filled with athletes has given Shay the opportunity to learn and understand what it takes to succeed at a high level. With Brooke and Bailey playing with the Bobcats over the last four seasons, Shay has been able to get an up-close look at the shift from high school to college in both academics and athletics.
"It's really nice to have the age gap between us and getting to see them do everything before I had to," Shay said. "They said the transitions is going to be hard and there's going be a lot of time management. You have the freedom of being on your own, but you have a lot more responsibilities. There is nobody telling you to do your homework and the workouts are at another level, so they told me it really gets to a point where mental toughness, not so much physical toughness, is going to be key."
Eric has also been able to provide some insight into what it will take to succeed as Shay moves to the next level.
"She worked hard and earned a scholarship, but now is when the real work begins, because now everyone's going to be really good and really athletic," Eric said. "In high school, she was always one of, if not the most athletic one out there, and now the separator is to know who works the hardest and who can embrace the mental part of the game and everything else that comes into play. Plus, you throw school on top of that at one of the top institutions in the nation, she's going have to work hard."
But above anything else, Eric wants Shay to enjoy her time as a Longhorn and the college experience, to take in everything that comes with being a student-athlete, but to also form the lifelong bonds that are often built in college. A common theme in their discussions is home much fun he had and the bonds he built at UT.
"He always talks about how he made lifelong friends at UT, the friends he made are still his closest friends 30 years later," Shay said. "He went on to play in the NFL, but he says that he had much more fun in college, making friends with not only teammates on the football team, but from the other sports, too. Texas has been about family for him, so I should do whatever I can to embrace that."
The University of Texas has always been a draw for Shay, but the ability to stay close to home and play in front of her family was also a key factor, another thing she shares with her father.
Eric was born and raised in Austin, attending Lyndon B. Johnson High School before playing at UT, giving Eric's father and the rest of his family an opportunity to see him play on a regular basis. Now Shay is giving Eric and the rest of her family the same opportunity as she prepares to build on the Holle Longhorn legacy as well as her own.
"I'm excited to see how this season goes; so many of us are new to the team and it will be really interesting just to see how we all gel," Shay said. "It's going to be really nice to grow up with these girls and find out what we can do as a team."
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @DrHorn98
Arriving on The Forty Acres to represent The University of Texas might seem daunting for freshman student-athletes – the history, success and tradition of the programs and the student-athletes that came before them are well documented.
But for Texas Women's Basketball's Shay Holle, being a Longhorn is the fostering of a family legacy.
Holle was born into a Longhorn family. Her father, Eric, was a defensive lineman at UT in the early 1980s before playing five seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. Shay feels right at home representing Texas and donning the Burnt Orange.
"Some of my earliest memories are of going to Longhorn football games, sitting on my dad's shoulders as we walked into the stadium," Shay recalled. "It was something I looked forward to all week, getting a chance to go to the game and be part of everything that came with it, seeing people wearing Longhorn gear and burnt orange outfits and the excitement of the game. There are pictures of me in little UT cheerleading outfits from when I could barely walk."
Shay was a standout guard at Westlake High School in Austin, earning accolades as a three-time Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 6A All-State selection and two-time District 25-6A Most Valuable Player, as well as the Austin American-Statesman's All-Centex Player of the Year in 2020.
She received interest from many of the programs in the nation, but once she received the offer from Texas there was no question where she would be continuing her playing career.
"There really was no decision to make, I did not hesitate. I always wanted to be a Longhorn and accepted almost right away," Shay said. "Texas was my dream school and having been around UT for so much of my life, it feels like I already have a family here."
The choice of Texas was an easy one for Shay and it certainly filled Eric with a great deal of pride when she chose to be a Longhorn.
"It's such a special, special place and we always kind of hoped Texas would come around, and even though that's where my wife and I wanted her to go there, we didn't want to put any kind of pressure on her, we wanted her to make that decision for herself," Eric said. "It was something that we talked about and dreamed about for a long time. She's been going to Longhorn games since she was four years old, and we thought about it but never really knew it could be a reality. When she was offered, we were very excited and thankful."
While Shay's father instilled in her a passion for the Texas Longhorns, her athletic skills clearly run in the family. Her mother, Michelle, played softball at Blinn College and Angelo State University, and her older twin sisters Brooke and Bailey just concluded their collegiate basketball careers at Texas State.
Having a family filled with athletes has given Shay the opportunity to learn and understand what it takes to succeed at a high level. With Brooke and Bailey playing with the Bobcats over the last four seasons, Shay has been able to get an up-close look at the shift from high school to college in both academics and athletics.
"It's really nice to have the age gap between us and getting to see them do everything before I had to," Shay said. "They said the transitions is going to be hard and there's going be a lot of time management. You have the freedom of being on your own, but you have a lot more responsibilities. There is nobody telling you to do your homework and the workouts are at another level, so they told me it really gets to a point where mental toughness, not so much physical toughness, is going to be key."
Eric has also been able to provide some insight into what it will take to succeed as Shay moves to the next level.
"She worked hard and earned a scholarship, but now is when the real work begins, because now everyone's going to be really good and really athletic," Eric said. "In high school, she was always one of, if not the most athletic one out there, and now the separator is to know who works the hardest and who can embrace the mental part of the game and everything else that comes into play. Plus, you throw school on top of that at one of the top institutions in the nation, she's going have to work hard."
But above anything else, Eric wants Shay to enjoy her time as a Longhorn and the college experience, to take in everything that comes with being a student-athlete, but to also form the lifelong bonds that are often built in college. A common theme in their discussions is home much fun he had and the bonds he built at UT.
"He always talks about how he made lifelong friends at UT, the friends he made are still his closest friends 30 years later," Shay said. "He went on to play in the NFL, but he says that he had much more fun in college, making friends with not only teammates on the football team, but from the other sports, too. Texas has been about family for him, so I should do whatever I can to embrace that."
The University of Texas has always been a draw for Shay, but the ability to stay close to home and play in front of her family was also a key factor, another thing she shares with her father.
Eric was born and raised in Austin, attending Lyndon B. Johnson High School before playing at UT, giving Eric's father and the rest of his family an opportunity to see him play on a regular basis. Now Shay is giving Eric and the rest of her family the same opportunity as she prepares to build on the Holle Longhorn legacy as well as her own.
"I'm excited to see how this season goes; so many of us are new to the team and it will be really interesting just to see how we all gel," Shay said. "It's going to be really nice to grow up with these girls and find out what we can do as a team."
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @DrHorn98
