Shawnte’ Goff can walk around campus freely. She isn’t mobbed by fans or anything of that sort. That doesn’t bother Goff; she’s able to work in a crowd or wide open.
The 5-foot-8 guard has proved that for four straight seasons, slashing to the hoop, shooting from anywhere on the court or drawing defenders and dishing to a teammate.
Her freshman season was the only one in which she wasn’t a top-five scorer in the conference. That season, she finished ninth and was named Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.
It’s hard to believe 13.3 points per game in her first collegiate season could be considered a down year.
For Goff, growth has been somewhat of a theme her whole life. In high school, she was a special talent as well, but some discipline issues saw her off the Copperas Cove varsity roster her junior year.
“We kind of got off to a little bit of a rocky start, but it was a kid that just loved basketball,” said Teresa Durham, Goff’s high school coach. “When it came down to it and she might have not had the opportunity to play, she just decided she would do whatever it took in order to play.”
After rejoining Copperas Cove as a senior, she never looked back. Her coach praised her growth as a teenager to a young adult dedicated to the game. Now Durham, coach of the Allen High School girls basketball team, has a chance to be a fan of her game.
“A lot of that goes back to having the strong support of her parents and just Shawnte’ as a person she grew and matured and realized how valuable basketball could be to her,” Durham said. “It’s just fun to watch her play. … I’ve seen her play on TV several times. It’s just fun knowing I knew that kid way back when.”
Her evolution as a college player has coincided with the improvement of UTPA/UTRGV women’s hoops.
The team’s record in the year prior to Goff joining was 12-16; the top scorer on the team averaged only 8.6 per contest. UTPA scored 59.7 ppg as a team, 3.9 less than its opponents.
In women’s basketball’s four years with Goff, the team has averaged 63.8 points per game, and they outscored opponents in those seasons by a slim margin. The senior guard led the team in scoring each of those seasons.
The Broncs in 2014-15 reached postseason play for the first time at the Division I level. The trip to the Women’s Basketball Invitational also led to the first banner hung in the rafters in program history. UTRGV added another banner last season, as it qualified for the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
“I look back at my time and say, ‘Regardless of what the outcome would be this year we did some really great things,’” Goff said. “We’ve had the chance to hang two banners, and maybe we’ll hang one more. I’ll be happy with what I’ve done here.”
At the end of the 2015-16 campaign, Goff was named WAC Player of the Year. Her 16.1 ppg led the conference as she pushed UTRGV to a second consecutive conference championship game.
“It’s been really cool to watch her develop as a player and a person,” Head Coach Larry Tidwell said. “She’s going to be very hard to replace. We just appreciate what she’s done for the last four years.”
Tidwell complimented the impact Goff has had on young guards such as Nichele Hyman and Bernesha Peters, two sophomores who will be called on to try to replace Goff by association.
Peters said the influence of her teammate had a lot to do with attitude and staying levelheaded.
“She taught me how not to be afraid and to play with confidence and to play with poise, to never let the crowd or the other team or the opponent get the best of my emotions,” Peters said. “So she’s a big impact and role model to me.”
Goff will leave UTRGV as the program leader in games started, points (1,790) and field goals made (613). She’s also in the top three in steals (186), assists (327) and three-point field goals made.
“You’ve definitely seen her grow not only as a player, but also promoting the game,” Tidwell said about Goff’s impact away from the hardwood. “She’s one of our leaders with community service, she’s one of our leaders in the classroom.”
Women’s basketball will not easily fill the hole that No. 11 will leave when she moves on from the NCAA game. The Copperas Cove native has aspirations to continue playing hoops after college.
Goff hopes to play overseas, possibly in Spain. Her head coach said that would be a great start. Tidwell sees her playing overseas for a few years but wouldn’t be too surprised if she had a shot at the WNBA.
Only time will tell for Shawnte’ Goff’s future. In the present, she still has some WAC business to handle. UTRGV will play its last home game of the season against New Mexico State at 7 p.m. Saturday.
After Senior Day, she’ll lead UTRGV into the WAC tournament March 8 in Las Vegas, where they’ll try to take the last two seasons one step further and earn a WAC championship for the first time in program history.
