By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Texas' Tamra Cobbins drives in for a layup ahead of Hampton's Lynetta Sullivan (22) and Bianca Johnson (23). (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

Heather Schreiber will visit the Oscar Robertson statue outside Shoemaker Center some time between now and Tuesday night's second-round game in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

You just know it. Because it would be unlike her not to. She wants to know. Everything.

The Texas sophomore lit up the Shoe Sunday in the Longhorns' 90-46 victory over Hampton.

But the women of second-seeded Texas were too tall, too athletic, too good on defense and too determined to go farther than last year's loss to Duke in a Sweet 16 round game.

All of these "too's" are embodied in Schreiber, who grew up in northwest Texas in a tiny school with a senior class of 29 in a town so quiet that all she had to do was play sports.

She learned basketball the old-fashioned way in the driveway, in the school yard, in the gym, hour after hour. Shooting. Dribbling.

And she could jump, too.

And in embracing basketball, she came to love Michael Jordan.

And so, she hung seven Jordan posters on her wall.

Schreiber is a great player in the making. In 19 minutes Sunday, she led all scorers with 17 points, all rebounders with nine, then added three assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

She is gangly, yet graceful, in-your-face, yet feline. Occasionally she will startle you; more often she will show you how the game was meant to be played.

"She's a very unusual player, in that she's 6-2 but has guard skills and is one of our best three-point shooters," Texas coach Jody Conradt said.

"She's quiet in her demeanor, but she observes everything. She has all those qualities that you love in a player."

At some point, Schreiber just might lead Texas to another national championship, something her coach hasn't won since going undefeated at Texas in 1985-86.

Conradt, in her 27th season at Texas, knows what she has: a player worth going to see.

Told that Robertson was Jordan before Jordan, maybe even better, Schreiber's eyes opened wide.

Oh yes, she'll go see that statue.

HAMPTON (23-10) - Brathwaite 1-9 6-8 8, Johnson 4-15 4-5 12, Dixon 5-20 3-3 15, Sullivan 0-3 0-0 0, Ellis 2-7 3-3 7, Lancaster 2-4 0-0 4, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Burnham 0-3 0-0 0, Sawyer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-62 16-19 46.

TEXAS (26-5) - Bowers 2-5 1-2 5, Schreiber 7-9 2-2 17, Stephens 3-6 0-0 6, Carey 3-9 0-0 8, Dillard 5-10 2-2 12, Cobbins 1-1 0-0 2, Bell 1-1 0-0 2, Sare 3-6 0-0 8, Thiel 0-0 0-0 0, Jesperson 0-0 0-0 0, Norman 3-5 0-0 7, Reed 2-4 0-0 4, Hastings 8-9 0-0 16, Williams 1-4 1-2 3. Totals 39-69 6-8 90.

Halftime-Texas 52-20. 3-Point goals-Hampton 2-11 (Dixon 2-9, Ellis 0-2), Texas 6-12 (Sare 2-4, Carey 2-5, Norman 1-1, Schreiber 1-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Hampton 35 (Johnson, Sullivan 7), Texas 45 (Schreiber 9). Assists-Hampton 3 (Dixon 2), Texas 29 (Norman 7). Total fouls-Hampton 12, Texas 15. A-NA.