Texas basketball standout Madison Booker has always claimed Kevin Durant as one of her favorite players. She even modeled her mid-range game after the NBA superstar.

"My dad always taught me before you need to shoot a 3, you've got to shoot a midrange," Booker said this past summer. "I always try to make sure I have a great midrange. Kevin Durant has a great midrange too, so I put two and two together."

As a freshman, Booker is averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Longhorns. And Durant has taken notice.

"She had an incredible season. Our point guard went out early this year so she had to step up and assume a different role, playing a point-forward," Durant said in a comment provided by the Phoenix Suns to the American-Statesman. "Future is bright. As a freshman, she's got so much more to do, but she's already staking claim in this league right now and she's going to be even better as she moves forward."

Booker opened this season as a wing player in the Texas starting lineup, but she was moved to the point guard position after Rori Harmon suffered a season-ending knee injury on Dec. 27. Despite learning a new position, Booker blossomed and won the Big 12 Co-Player of the Year award. After scoring 26 points in the Big 12 Championship Game on Tuesday, she was named the most outstanding player of the conference tournament.

Booker is the first freshman to ever earn the Big 12 Player of the Year award. She joins Oklahoma's Courtney Paris (2006), Baylor's Nina Davis (2014) and Harmon (2022) as the only freshmen to be honored as the Big 12 Tournament's most outstanding player.

Booker wears the No. 35 jersey because that is what Durant wore. The Texas men's basketball program has retired that jersey number in honor of Durant, who played for the Longhorns for one season and won the Naismith Trophy in 2007. When asked if Booker was representing his number in the correct way, Durant replied that "she's gonna have that thing retired on the other side."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: NBA star Kevin Durant praises Texas basketball player Madison Booker