Texas forward DeYona Gaston (5) blocks a shot by Baylor forward Caitlin Bickle (51) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
Rod Aydelotte, MBI / Associated PressAUSTIN — Before DeYona Gaston had even played a quarter of high school ball, the 6-foot-2 forward was billed as the sport’s next big star.
ESPN produced a glowing profile of the Pearland prodigy in September 2016 to introduce its initial Class of 2020 watch list, which Gaston, of course, topped. That class, by the way, included future superstars like UConn’s Paige Buckers, Stanford’s Cameron Brink and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
But a lot can happen in four years. Gaston dealt with a rash of injuries while figuring out how exactly to wield a body that had grown almost too quickly.
“It wore on me pretty good,” Gaston said last month on the Longhorn Network. “And on top of that, I was still kind of growing in high school so that was also a little bit of the reason, trying to get used to my body. My feet are gonna grow, my legs are gonna grow and I have to figure out how to prepare my body to be able to play.”
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Gaston still put up monstrous numbers when healthy, finished as the 90th-ranked player in her recruiting class and ended up following coach Vic Schaefer to Texas after he left Mississippi State, her original destination, in April 2020. Problem was, those injury woes followed her to Austin, too.
Gaston made it through 11 games as a freshman before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture in her shin. Undeterred, she returned to start 27 games as a sophomore while averaging 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks to help Texas make its second straight trip to the Elite Eight.
Now 30 games deep into her junior campaign, Gaston is starting to look more like that force of nature the early recruiters hailed her as years ago.
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No. 12 Texas (22-8, 13-4), half a game up on second-place Oklahoma (22-5, 12-4), is in position to claim at least a share of the Big 12 title for the first time since 2004 thanks in no small part to Gaston’s breakout. She leads the team in rebounding (5.9 per game), is second in scoring (13.2) and blocks (1.2) and is third in steals (1.3) in the Big 12.
And her fingerprints have been all over some significant games, including last Saturday’s 67-45 win at No. 13 Oklahoma. Gaston finished with 12 points on 50 percent shooting, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to help the Longhorns break a first-place tie with their archrival.
Gaston also went off for 19 points in a home win over Oklahoma in January and erupted for 24 with seven combined steals and blocks in a 68-65 win at Kansas Feb. 4. Her timely performances have helped mitigate the loss of rising sophomore forward Aaliyah Moore, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in December.
“Man, she’s been really important for us,” Schaefer said of Gaston last Sunday. “She’s obviously grown. She’s matured. She is just a different kid. And in the classroom, she’s way different as well. And it’s all part of college, it’s part of growing up. I’m just really proud of her.”
Gaston hasn’t had to make up for Moore’s absence all by herself.
Texas Tech transfer Khadija Faye and Oregon State transfer Taylor Jones have both stepped up, averaging a combined 15.6 points,10.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. And sophomore point guard Rori Harmon remains one of the best two-way players in the nation.
But Gaston has grown into a game-altering presence, both as a rim deterrent and offensive sparkplug. And she’s still just scratching the surface.
“I ask a lot of her,” Schaefer said. “And I have to sometimes take a step back and realize that she may not be ready for all that. But just really proud of her growth and she’s impacting our team at a really high level right now.”
Early in the third quarter of Monday’s frustrating 63-54 loss to Baylor, Gaston appeared to injure her back after a hard fall. She returned a few minutes later, gimpy but determined to finish the game.
The game’s outcome stung. Gaston’s battered body did, too. But just like she’s done so many times before, Gaston is shaking that one off with Texas needing to win at Kansas State (16-13, 5-11) Saturday to claim at least a share of the Big 12 title.
“These last few years, it’s been a real struggle,” Gaston said. “But it feels amazing to be able to play without any little nagging injuries. It feels amazing. Probably a 10 outta 10.”
Twitter: @NRMoyle
