Cedar Park's Gisella Maul on her Texas pledge, basketball shoes, outshooting Kevin Durant

Before taking the next steps in her basketball career, Gisella Maul needed new sneakers.

To announce her commitment to play for Texas on Monday, Maul pulled a pair of custom-made sneakers out of a suitcase. The Cedar Park junior's Nike Dunks featured plenty of burnt orange and a Longhorns logo decorated the heels.

This isn't the first time that shoes have marked a chapter in Maul's book of basketball. Over her two seasons, Maul celebrated Cedar Park's state championships with customized kicks.

But Texas didn't recruit her because of her impeccable taste in sneakers. Maul is a national top-50 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. She averaged 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game this past season, and she was named the state's Gatorade player of the year.

"They're going to get a competitor," Cedar Park coach Donny Ott said. "Boy, she hates to lose.

"She is a competitor in practice, she competes. I think that's going to really continue to build on what coach Schaefer is doing right now. What he does to those kids now and how hard they compete and play, I think that's going to be a really good fit."

More: Cedar Park junior Gisella Maul chooses to continue decorated basketball career at Texas

Maul joins San Antonio Reagan wing Samantha Wagner and Flower Mound post Abbie Boutilier in UT's class. On Monday, Maul chatted with the American-Statesman about her decision to play for the Longhorns, on Texas coach Vic Schaefer and on the time she beat Kevin Durant in a shooting contest:

I've got to start off by asking you about the kicks.

I would say shoes are my thing. After our last two state championship wins, I've gotten custom-made sneakers. To me, shoes are a big part of my story and my legacy. So I feel with committing, just having a fresh pair of kicks in the school colors, I thought that was special.

How did everyone react when you pulled them out?

All of the assumptions were all over the place. I had a bunch of different schools (recruiting me), so there were a lot of schools that people thought I was gonna go to. There were a lot of people that were shocked, a lot of people that knew what was coming. There was a lot of different reactions, but at the end of the day, everyone was just happy for me.

Why Texas?

I've always been a big fan of Texas, ever since I was little. I remember going to the camps and going to all of the games and everything. So I've been around Texas ever since I was little. That's all I ever really knew. I just felt like it was the perfect school for me.

Who else did you consider?

There were a lot of Big 12 schools and a lot of SEC schools. Without naming them, I just know I'm gonna be forever grateful for all of the schools that showed interest in me. But I definitely felt like Texas was the fit for me.

What are your thoughts about having Vic Schaefer as your future coach?

He's a legend in the basketball world and I'm super excited to be coached by him. I know I'm gonna learn a lot from him. I know he coaches hard, but that's something that I'm used to. I think that I should be ready for that.

What do you think the future is for this Texas program and what can you contribute to this team?

I'm excited to see what I can bring to the table. I think that this team is going to have a lot of potential. They're already so young right now and they went to the Elite Eight last year. I just think that Texas women's basketball is just going to keep improving and I'm excited to be a part of that.

Did you have a favorite Longhorn growing up?

Growing up, my favorite was Ariel Atkins. I love watching her play. She's a lefty, too. I always kind of looked after her and I love watching her play.

Have you ever met Ariel?

I've met her at camps, I would talk to her after games and everything. She congratulated me on committing and sometimes she'll reach out to me on social media. I just think she's a great person.

For the Texas fans who haven't seen you play, how would you describe your game?

I would say that I'm a big guard who can kind of do everything on the court, offense and defense. Whether it's get to the basket, the mid-range or the three, I feel like I'm someone who can do it all. I feel like I also have a high ball IQ and I'm able to get looks for other people as well. I feel like I just bring winning to the table. I'll do whatever it takes to win and stepping up whenever I needed.

Speaking of winning, how have these last two seasons at Cedar Park prepared you for the next stage of your career?

Playing at the highest level in high school, that for sure prepares you. Even in AAU, my team, we played at the highest level at Nike nationals, we were in the championship game on ESPN. Having that experience of playing against some of the best competition in the country, that will definitely help me. Also being a part of a winning program will definitely help me to carry over into being part of a winning program over at Texas.

Have you gotten to know Samantha and Abbie yet?

More: Class of 2023 at Texas adds pledge from Samantha Wagner

Me and Sammie, yeah, we're cool. I don't know much about Abbie, but I'm definitely looking forward to meeting some of my future teammates. But yeah, me and Sammie, we're cool. She texted me, telling me how excited she was to be teammates with me.

What's your history with basketball? How do you get started with the sport?

I started playing basketball around the age of three or four. I always watched my siblings play when I was younger, and my dad, he was always their coach and their trainer. I just thought that what they did was so cool, so I wanted to be like them. So that's really when I picked up the basketball and I haven't put it down since. My dad has been my trainer basically my entire life. He was my coach all up until middle school. My siblings basically got me started, my dad has been training me my entire life.

Who is your favorite player?

Well, my favorite player is LeBron, but the person that I would say I think I play like would be a Kevin Durant type of player. I actually beat him in a shooting contest at one of his camps at Texas. I thought that was the coolest. I would definitely say my favorite player is LeBron, but I think my game is more like a KD.

You've got to tell me more about beating KD in a shooting contest.

It was in fifth grade, it was at his Texas camp. It was like a 3-point shootout. It was (the game) called "Bank." He got out earlier and then I ended up beating T.J. Ford in the final. I got an autographed throwback KD picture with him at Texas. It was cool.

Why did you decide to commit as a junior instead of waiting until your senior year?

I always thought that my plan would be to commit in the fall of 2022. But as I started realizing, like, the recruitment process, it's very overwhelming. It can be a lot. Having to talk to a lot of different coaches all the time can be overwhelming. I came to the point where I knew that Texas is where I wanted to go. I just decided why would I keep waiting? Recruiting is already overwhelming enough and I already know where I want to go, so I just thought the time was right.

Do you have a nickname? What do you want people to call you?

I'd say my nickname is "G-Money." Everyone calls me "G," but my nickname is "G-Money."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 2023 recruit Gisella Maul discusses pledge to play basketball at Texas