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Lauren Ebo will transfer from Penn State to Texas, providing Longhorns women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer with some much-needed size and depth in his first week on the job. A 6-foot-4 sophomore, Ebo announced her decision in a Twitter post Monday. Ebo becomes the first player to commit to Texas since it hired Schaefer, who led Mississippi State to back-to-back national championship game appearances, to replace former coach Karen Aston. Ebo started 17 games for Penn State this past season and averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. She led the team in blocked shots and rebounds per 40 minutes as both a freshman and sophomore. Overall, she made 59 appearances and 27 starts for the Nittany Lions during her two seasons. It is still to be determined whether Ebo will have to sit out a season, pending the NCAA's decision on a one-time transfer waiver for all athletes, but she would fill an immediate need for the Longhorns if eligible. There were only seven non-seniors on the roster Schaefer inherited, with 6-foot-5 sophomore Charli Collier the only returning player listed at taller than 6-foot. Schaefer also inherits a four-player high school recruiting class headlined by guards Ashley Chevalier and Shay Holle, who are both ranked among ESPN Hoopgurlz's top 100 recruits, along with 6-foot-3 Elyssa Coleman and 6-foot-5 Precious Johnson. Mississippi State excelled under Schaefer in part because of its ability to develop post players such as Teaira McCowan and current standout Jessika Carter. It is currently unclear whether former Mississippi State associate coach Johnnie Harris, who worked directly with those players, will follow Schaefer to Texas.
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