The Glue Girl: How Sarah Graves Earned Her Place at Texas
Sarah Graves’ path to a scholarship at the University of Texas wasn’t a straightforward one.
Starting as a determined walk-on from Keller, Texas, she faced long odds and fierce competition,
but her relentless work ethic and unshakable belief in herself propelled her forward. From the
moment she stepped onto the Forty Acres, she committed to proving that heart and hustle could
earn a place on one of college basketball’s most competitive teams.
Out of high school, Graves had numerous Division I offers, but something was different
about the burnt orange. What guided her through her decisions was a simple yet powerful piece
of advice: find a program and coaches that align with who you are as a person.
“The biggest advice everybody told me in high school was to find somewhere where you
felt like the program fit you… I was just looking for a coach that reflected who [I was] in my
process, and none of my offers really felt like it was a perfect fit for me. I had a lot of doubts
going into [my recruiting process].”
On a “whim,” Graves turned down all her other offers and applied to UT Austin — as a
regular student. She ended up being accepted to the McCombs School of Business (top 20 in the
country, we may add), and sent a direct message on social media to current Associate Head
Coach Elena Lovato. The contents of the message were cut and dry: a highlight reel and a
request for an opportunity to earn a roster spot.
“In a couple of weeks, I was in a whole new life, honestly,” she admits. That DM led to a
tryout that she describes as “really, really difficult.” UT is known for playing tough defense, so
she was led through conditioning and defensive exercises after the fundamentals. “Obviously,
you start with ballhandling and shooting, but that’s a baseline requirement for basketball players,
and they were just having me guard guys — full grown 6’3″ men — full court, honestly. It’s just
a grind. They were trying to see, I think, how tough you were.”
Then, she made the team.
However, the work was just beginning. Showing up every day as a walk-on meant
constantly proving she belonged — not just to others, but to herself. The challenge of earning
playing time at one of the country’s top programs demanded an unwavering mindset, especially
as Texas prepared to transition from the Big 12 to the SEC.
“It was just working towards a standard. I held myself to a certain standard, even though I
didn’t think I could play and make an impact in my freshman year. It was more so just, how can I
focus on details and urgency and making sure that I push myself, even though I didn’t think I
could be an immediate impact on the court. Now that I’m a senior, that’s something that has kind
of come full circle for me because I see people come in — redshirts, freshmen, things like that —
people that don’t think they can make an immediate impact. And I think it’s an awful mindset to
have, to coast.”
Texas has long had a reputation for tough, detail-oriented coaches who push players far
beyond their comfort zones, especially those bold enough to bet on themselves without a
scholarship guarantee. Vic Schaefer is no different.
“Our coaches have a skill at making you feel seen and pushing at the same time. They’re
not going to let you coast in practice, so while I didn’t think I could make an immediate impact
on the court, that was never my focus. It was like, ‘How can I win this practice? How can I prove
myself every day?’” The “trenches” is a modest way to describe UT Austin women’s basketball
workouts. Instagram clips can be found of the team lifting heavy weights and running sprints in
the Texas heat. Their on-court practices are meticulous, with teammates and coaches alike
holding everyone accountable.
Preseason conditioning was a time those off-court bonds grew through struggling together.
“I look over and [I] see people gasping for air, and I’d look over at someone I’m close with —
like Rori Harmon — and we’re always locked in, trying to push each other because we’re super
competitive… we’d look over kind of like, ‘Alright, let’s do this.’ I’d get a quick head nod —
that’s all I need. I’d give full credit to my teammates because I genuinely couldn’t stay in it day
after day without them.”
The preseason grinds, late nights, and early mornings paid off. A video went viral of Graves
receiving a full scholarship. She can be seen bounding in excitement when getting the news and
being swarmed by teammates who were now her family. It was something she was not
expecting, but she recounts the memory with a huge smile.
“So, we read the quote of the day at the end of every practice and the beginning of every
practice, and so I’d done that a couple times… I think it was something about hard work… I was
reading a quote and at the end of it just said, ‘Sarah, you’re now on full ride.’ I had no idea at all.
It is something I will remember forever.”
Her financial aid situation transformed with her game. There are many things she has gotten
better at, but the main thing she cites is the increase in toughness. She says this shift is courtesy
of Coach Schaefer. She said with a laugh, “You know, he loves defense… You only imagine
how it is three hours of practice here with us pushing each other being physical… he’s so smart.
There’s no room for shortcuts. And so, if you take a shortcut in any aspect of your life, it’s going
to come back to get you, like, you can’t escape that, can’t escape the hard work.”
When the now senior talks about what sets her apart, she doesn’t point to her stat line or just
her on-court hustle — instead, she comes back to the intangibles that don’t show up in the box
score. “What I’ve heard from them [the coaches] is, one, leadership — like being a connector
and taking things seriously outside just the court and just basketball,” she explains. “People call
you the glue player or the glue girl — that’s a common term I hear — but being very intentional
about the relationships that you build with the coach and with your teammates, that’s very
important to your team. I feel like that’s something that kind of goes overlooked a lot.”
But there’s more to Graves than holding people together — she brings a level of discipline
that lifts the standard for everyone around her. “And then two is just attention to detail. I didn’t
really notice that was uncommon, but for them [the coaches], they really said they like how I
treat every rep like it’s the last one. Like, you really focus on detail and urgency and help push
other people.”
There is one quote Graves will hold close to her heart forever. One that Vic Schaefer can be
seen saying on national TV repeatedly.
“How you do anything is how you do everything,” she says with finality. “It’s about life.
It’s not about basketball; it’s about who you are as a person. What you do every day in practice,
how you perform every rep — that’s going to determine how successful you’re going to be in
five years, ten years, whether you’re in basketball, business, just anything in life… that’s a
reflection of who you are and your character.” In the end, Sarah Graves shows that leadership is more than words — it’s the daily
commitment to doing things the right way, no matter how small. She’s a connector, a standard-
setter, and a reminder that how you approach every detail shapes what you achieve far beyond
the game. For Sarah, it’s never just about basketball — it’s about who you choose to be, every
single day. And that’s why her impact will echo far beyond the court.
