Fran Harris stepped onto the Houston Comets court during the team’s inaugural season in 1997, and memories of playing in front of thousands of fans at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center came rushing back.
Harris, who led Texas women’s basketball to its only perfect season in 1986, always dreamed of owning a team. Over the past 28 years, she stayed connected to the WNBA, and about five years ago, she decided it was time to assemble an ownership group to bring a WNBA team to Austin.
The growth of women’s basketball, both at the collegiate and professional levels, has reached record-breaking heights in the last two years. The 2024 NCAA Championship game between South Carolina and Iowa drew an average of 18.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, with March Madness viewership increasing by 121% from 2023.
“When I played at Texas, we would sell out. 8,000 (fans) wasn’t a big deal for us,” Harris recalled. “The game has really grown, and in some markets like Tennessee, Texas, and Connecticut, fans have shown up in droves. But the media coverage, television exposure, social media buzz, and overall attention the game has received in the past decade—especially in the last three years—have really opened everyone’s eyes.”
Texas basketball now plays at the Moody Center, which seats nearly 11,000 fans, where Longhorn fans regularly pack the arena. Harris believes this built-in fan base would be key to sustaining a local WNBA team.
“One of the most exciting parts of bringing a WNBA team to Austin is the chance to engage university students,” Harris said. “I can’t wait to see students going wild in the Moody Center for a WNBA team. It’s high-energy entertainment.”
Though Harris hasn’t spoken with Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, she’s had conversations with current players and sensed overwhelming excitement about the possibility of a local professional team.
“If I were playing at the University of Texas right now, and there was a professional women’s basketball team in the city, I would be beyond thrilled. It’s incredibly aspirational,” Harris said.
The sport’s growth has also sparked increased interest in WNBA expansion, making the bidding process more competitive.
San Francisco, Toronto, and Portland were recently confirmed as expansion cities, bringing the league to 15 teams. Other cities vying for the 16th franchise include Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Kansas City.
“The bids keep rolling in,” Harris said. “The fact that cities are stepping up and saying, ‘We want a WNBA team,’ is absolutely phenomenal. That’s how it should be.”
While there’s no official timeline for the league’s decision, Harris hopes for an answer by the first quarter of 2025, with the goal of having a team on the court by 2027 or 2028.
