'A Hoot Off The Floor' Texas Longhorns Bonding Ahead Of Final Four Game

TAMPA - Ahead of their Final Four matchup against South Carolina, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns are as loose as ever and their chemistry is at an all-time high. The Longhorns are even getting head coach Vic Schaefer to star in TikToks, or he's even jumping into them on his own.

When asked about it, Madison Booker, who was the original star in Taylor Jones' TikTok, shared that they didn't even have to ask him to join, he wanted to on his own.

"That didn't take much convincing," Booker said. "I think he wanted to be on TikTok. He was standing beside me kind of sad that we didn't invite him. I was like 'Come on, Coach, come on'. You can do the money sign. I mean that tells you the chemistry we have with Coach Schaefer and as a team, too. We
want to have fun. A lot of times, when we're serious, we're playing basketball. But behind the cameras, this is how we act, we're one big happy family, honestly. That's the chemistry that we have."

Madison Booker talks to the media ahead of the Final Four — Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) speaks to the media during a press conference at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, Thursday, April 3, 2025 ahead of their Final Four match-up against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While still focusing on the task at hand, Schaefer enjoys that his players are able to have so much fun and feel so comfortable with him.

"I'll tell you, on my team, what makes them fun to be around, first of all, they're a hoot off the floor, it's
a pretty loose group," Schaefer said.

In the locker room, there wasn't a clear winner of who makes the best TikToks or has the most fun on social media, but the chemistry was clear; everyone had ideas that they wanted to share with their teammates. Answers differed from player to player. Jordana Codio said that Ndjakalenga Mwenentantda's videos made her laugh the hardest, while Taylor Jones said that Aaliyah Moore and Laila Phelia had the best ideas.

Even while having fun, the team knows what they're in Tampa to do. On Wednesday, the team went to A'ja Wilson's popup event and all of them received new shoes. Despite being a Gamecock, Wilson wished the Longhorns luck.

Now, the Longhorns are in their final stages of preparations to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks for a fourth time this season, this time with a trip to the national championship on the line. The game will tip of at 6 p.m. central from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fl and be aired on ESPN.