University of Arkansas at Little Rock Athletic Director Chasse Conque saw an opportunity to honor Karen Aston a week and a half early.
Aston is one of five inductees into this year's UALR Hall of Fame class along with Chastity Reed (women's basketball), Bill Ballard (men's basketball/administration), Mike Morrison (men's golf) and Sara Wikstrom (women's golf).
But Aston, the women's basketball coach at Texas, won't be able to make it to Little Rock for the UALR Hall of Fame weekend, scheduled for Feb. 1-2, because she will coach the Longhorns at Oklahoma on Feb. 2.
Instead, Conque and Trojan Lettermen's Association President Fred Lord honored Aston as a UALR Hall of Fame inductee Tuesday afternoon at the Downtown Tip-Off Club meeting at the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.
"She never lost sight of who she is, where she's from and where her heart is, and that's right here in central Arkansas," Conque said.
Aston, a 1982 Bryant graduate, played at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia for two seasons before transferring to UALR, where she led the team in scoring and field goals made in 1985-1986 when the school was a member of NAIA.
"It's a humbling experience to be honored," Aston said. "You know that when those types of honors occur, you're representing something that's so much bigger than your own self.
"I'm really proud to say I'm a Trojan."
In her seventh season at Texas, Aston has led the No. 12 Longhorns to a 15-3 record and a 5-1 mark in the Big 12 Conference. Texas hosts Kansas tonight in Austin, Texas.
During her speech Tuesday, Aston, 54, discussed her appreciation for her home state and her coaching career.
"As much as I love Austin and I love being a Texas Longhorn, that old saying that you should never forget where you come from is absolutely true," Aston said. "My heart has always been here. When you start to talk about what journey you've been on as a successful basketball coach, you have to look back at where you started and what molded you."
Aston began her coaching career at Vilonia High School in 1988. She led the Lady Eagles to a 36-1 record and a Class AA state championship in 1993.
"When I really look back at that job, I'm thinking, 'They really wanted to eat this little girl alive,' " said Aston, who was 24 years old when she was hired by Vilonia.
One of Aston's biggest influences has been UALR women's Coach Joe Foley. When Foley was at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Aston would go work at his camps in the early 1990s while at Vilonia. The two coaches met in a 2016 meeting won by Texas at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
"I don't care what school he coaches at, he's the best coach in the country," Aston said. "I studied him as much as anyone I've ever been around."
Aston has been a head coach in college since 2007, with stints at North Carolina-Charlotte (2007-2011), North Texas (2011-2012) and Texas (2012-current). She is 258-128 in 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach, with six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Aston said she always has believed in hard work.
"If you skip the steps, it just doesn't work," Aston said. "How do you get from Vilonia High School to the University of Texas? I've worked really hard my whole life, and I really believe you can't skip the steps."
Sports on 01/23/2019