BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Texas coach Vic Schaefer stood at the bottom of a ladder on Monday night at Legacy Arena focused on a few final tasks. The Longhorns’ Elite Eight victory had ended 20 minutes earlier, yet Schaefer still held a curled-up piece of paper containing the essentials of his team’s victory. With Texas headed to its first Final Four since 2003, he was there to brace the ladder as every one of his players and assistant coaches made the ascent.
A coach for 38 years, Schaefer still had instructions left to deliver.
He reminded freshman guard Jordan Lee to pose for a picture before she touched down. Junior forward Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda asked Schaefer, “Does it matter where I cut?” Schaefer pointed to a piece of net by the front of the rim.
Schaefer told star wing Madison Booker to snip a piece of net on the back left of the cylinder as she stepped up. From atop the ladder, Booker asked him where the scissors were.
“It’s right there by the end,” he replied.
Schaefer even assisted his assistants. When it was finally time for him to climb the ladder he had been longing to climb ever since he took the Longhorns job in April 2020, he gave another instruction. He held out the piece of paper that held the keys to Texas’ 58-47 win over second-seeded TCU and told…
