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The offseason staff changes for head coach Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns basketball program are presumably now complete, as Andrea Hudy is coming to Austin after spending 15 years with the Kansas Jayhawks, according to the Kansas City Star.
Texas confirmed the addition on Friday afternoon — Hudy will oversee strength and conditioning for the men’s and women’s basketball programs at Texas, with Zach Zillner continuing in his role with the women’s team under Hudy’s supervision.
“We’re very excited about the addition of Andrea Hudy to our program,” Smart said in a statement released by the school. “Her track record of training elite performers is second to none, and her ability to connect with the players she trains makes her a terrific fit for our relationship-based culture.
“When Andrea expressed an interest in joining our team, it quickly became clear that her unique skill set is ideally suited for our team’s performance needs. We’re looking forward to Andrea getting to work with our guys immediately!”
Smart needed to find a replacement for longtime strength and conditioning coach Daniel Roose, who followed Smart from VCU in 2015 when Smart took the Texas job, but recently opted to return.
The hire of Hudy is a coup for Smart, not only because of the prominence that Kansas holds in college basketball, but also because of the success that she had with the Jayhawks — she was named National College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013 by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Kansas also became the first school to use the SpartaTrac force plate technology under Hudy. While in Lawrence, she coached 39 student-athletes who went on to play in the NBA.
Before joining Kansas in 2004, Hudy was at UConn, where she was a part of eight national championship teams — two men’s basketball, five women’s basketball, and one men’s soccer.
“I am excited to start the next chapter in my career and thankful for this new opportunity at The University of Texas,” Hudy said. “I’m ready to take on the challenge of making an impact on the basketball programs at UT.
”After speaking with Shaka, I am encouraged that I will not only be able to continue working with outstanding student-athletes, but I will also have the chance to impact the program by building strong relationships.”