TCU women’s basketball gears up for the start of the 2024 season with high expectations

Heading into the second year of his tenure, TCU women’s head basketball coach Mark Campbell acknowledged the increased expectations for the Horned Frogs.

“It’s what you want as a coach, is to have expectations, is to have a roster that has big names and talent at the end of the day, you want to compete at the highest level. You want to have an opportunity to play in a Final Four and try to get there,” said Campbell.

TCU placed fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll, its highest ranking since joining the conference.

After going 21-12 last season, the Horned Frogs added highly touted recruits Maddie Scherr, Donovyn Hunter, Taylor Bigby, Deasia Merrill and Hailey Van Lith, the 14th-best transfer in the country according to ESPN.

Campbell gushed about Van Lith’s offseason preparation and focus.

“Hailey’s work ethic, to see it day in and day out, and it started before the Olympics, It’s second to none. Her training, her work ethic, It’s elevated everybody else. So that’s been something that until you get someone and you get to be in the trenches, you don’t totally know,” said Campbell.

Van Lith was one of six transfers who joined the Horned Frogs and Campbell has been happy with their integration into the team.

“I think that’s all of college athletics integrating the portal players. It’s gone as seamless as it could, honestly, to have six new players, I think it’s we did a heck of a job on the recruiting front of identifying kids that fit the system and to fit our culture,” said Campbell, “it’s been seamless just because we’re old. I think our average age this year is 22 years old, and so there’s a great maturity to this group. When they come in to compete and play and practice, they’re locked in, and then off the court, they just enjoy each other.”

TCU also returns several players from last year some of whom have impressed Campbell with how they’ve grown in the offseason.

“Una has made incredible growth from last year to this year in her confidence in herself, the reads that she makes, have been incredible. So that’s been fun to see that evolution,” said Campbell.

Una Jovanovic is coming off a strong season averaging 7.1 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game while ranking second in the Big 12 with a 2.11 assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting 40% from three-point range.

Hunter, a transfer from Oregon State, has impressed with her defensive acumen as well as Natalie Mazurek for her floor spacing ability.

“[Hunter] has been picking people up 94 feet, elite athletes, elite defender, has such a humble spirit to her, but watching her compete on the defensive end tell you what in our last scrimmage, she single-handedly, set the tone with her ball pressure and what she did on the defensive end,” said Campbell, “it’s has been really fun to see [Mazurek], who we’re using as a stretch five from from South Dakota. Her ability to really shoot it as a center at the five position makes our offense really unique.”

Campbell feels this team has eight players who could start and vowed that the starting lineup would not be set in stone.

“We’re going to change our starting lineup, It’s not going to be the old school, traditional, same starting lineup every day. We’re too talented to do that. There’s a group of players that have earned the opportunity to have a chance to start, and that’s part of our depth, is figuring out how to make sure we maximize that group.”

TCU faces a daunting non-conference schedule playing powerhouses like South Carolina, Notre Dame and North Carolina State.

“It’s such a cool opportunity to play South Carolina and coach [Dawn] Staley. What she’s built, what she sustained, their level of excellence it’s incredible. It’s remarkable,” There’s a lot of people that don’t want to play them, but that was a complete no-brainer opportunity for us and for our program, where we’re trying to get to, what we want to build, you gotta go play against those teams. I know our team’s really excited”

TCU opens its season against Houston Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Schollmaier Arena.