After the conclusion of the 2026 season, Texas women\u2019s basketball has signed two new transfers to add depth and experience after losing a large portion of its roster to exhausted eligibility and the transfer portal. The Longhorns hope that these additions will balance out a roster that has a significant number of freshmen and veteran staples.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zya Vann \u2013 junior guard\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zya Vann signed with the program in mid-April, crossing the Red River after two seasons with Oklahoma. During her sophomore season as a Sooner, Vann started all 34 games and averaged 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.6 minutes per game.<\/p>\n
The 5-foot-9 guard from Edmond, Okla., established herself as a reliable two-way player. Vann tallied 71 steals during the 2025-2026 season, while showcasing her ability as a perimeter shooter and playmaker off the dribble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vann said Texas stood out as the right fit for her development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTexas is the best place for me to grow because of the elite culture and standard the coaches and players hold themselves to every day,\u201d Vann said in a Texas Athletics press release. \u201cI am excited to be part of something that\u2019s built to win at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Head coach Vic Schaefer sought out Vann because of her versatility and toughness as a combo guard, but her experience is just as valuable to a roster containing several freshmen adjusting to the college game. After spending two seasons in the Southeastern Conference, Vann is already familiar with the physicality and pace of SEC basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so excited to welcome Zya Vann to our Longhorn family,\u201d Schaefer said in a Texas Athletics press release. \u201cWhen looking to add someone to our program, we\u2019re searching for the total package \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly who Zya is. She is an elite competitor with a toughness and grit that shows up in everything she does. As a combo guard, she brings versatility, physicality, and a relentless motor that will impact us immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jada Bediako \u2013 senior forward\u00a0<\/p>\n
Senior forward Jada Bediako, from Brampton, Ontario, spent her freshman year at Georgia Tech before transferring to Marquette for her sophomore and junior campaigns. During her junior season, Bediako appeared in 26 games and averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game. She also led the team in field goal percentage, shooting 55.8% from the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose Texas because of its winning culture and the consistent push for me to be the best version of myself,\u201d Bediako said in a Texas Athletics press release. \u201cThe competitive environment and standards of the program only will get you better. It\u2019s a place where hard work is expected and success is built.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bediako gives Texas additional frontcourt depth and size heading into the new season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Bediako) brings the toughness, competitive spirit, and physical presence we were looking for,\u201d Schaefer said in a Texas Athletics press release. \u201cWhat stood out most was Jada\u2019s desire to be coached \u2014 she wants to be pushed and challenged to become the best version of herself. That mindset makes her a natural fit here at Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the transfers and freshmen continue to adjust to Schaefer\u2019s system in the offseason, the Longhorns will soon turn their attention toward November and the beginning of another season with Final Four expectations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After the conclusion of the 2026 season, Texas women\u2019s basketball has signed two new transfers to add depth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-363645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}