TCU Women's Basketball Embraces New Role at Big 12 Media Day

Guard Olivia Miles also spoke about her decision to play at TCU during Big 12 Media Day.

Oct 21, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; TCU head coach Mark Campbell speaks to media during Big 12 Womenís Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 college basketball season is less than two weeks away and expectations surrounding the TCU women’s basketball program are eclipsing new heights following a historic 34-win season.  

For the first time in program history, TCU was tabbed the preseason Big 12 title favorite by the league's coaches. The Horned Frogs earned a No. 17 spot in the preseason AP poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history and first preseason ranking in 22 years. 

TCU head coach Mark Campbell, guard Olivia Miles, guard Maddie Scherr and forward Marta Suarez spoke about those expectations and the upcoming season at Big 12 media day in Kansas City on Tuesday.

The Horned Frogs will have new look this season with nine new faces on the roster alongside four returners. The AP poll reflected those changes as fellow Big 12 members Iowa State and Baylor ranked ahead of TCU at No. 14 and 16 respectively. Oklahoma State rounded out the conference’s representation at No. 22. 

Those national rankings have provided the Horned Frogs even more incentive to prove they belong in the national conversation.

“I think that’s been one of our secret elements is the chip [on the shoulder] we’ve played with every year,” Campbell said during a television interview. “As you're building a program that wants to be a national player year in and year out, we’ve got to prove it over and over.”

Below are some more highlights from Big 12 media day.  

The show is about to begin 🎬 pic.twitter.com/p41V0EWC4j

— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) October 22, 2025

Building a Champion Through Transfer Portal

Since arriving at TCU in 2023, Campbell has relied on the transfer portal to transform a 1-17 Big 12 program into champions. Among those transfers were Hailey Van Lith, Madison Conner, Sedona Prince and Agnes Emma-Nnopu. They helped guide the Horned Frogs to a sweep of the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and the university’s first Elite Eight appearance last season. 

Campbell dipped into the portal again this offseason to replace that quartet’s production, which brought his three-year running transfer total to 18 players. Miles, an All-American from Notre Dame, headlined the newest transfer group. Suarez, one of the top-rated forwards in the portal, came from California, alongside guards Veronica Sheffey (San Diego State), Taliyah Parker (Texas A&M) and centers Kennedy Basham (Arizona State) and Clara Silva (Kentucky). 

In addition to the transfers, Scherr will take the court for the first time as a Horned Frog after sitting out last season with a back injury. Scherr came to TCU in 2024 from Kentucky where she averaged 12 points, five rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game across two seasons. 

“This offseason, it wasn’t a rebuild,” Campbell said at a roundtable interview. “It was a reload.”

The roster features four players 6-7 or taller, including Silva, Basham and freshmen Sarah Portlock and Emily Hunter. Portlock, Hunter and guard Clara Bielefeld make up Campbell’s first high school recruiting class as TCU’s head coach. 

Guards Donovyn Hunter, Taylor Bigby and forward Natalie Mazurek return from last year's team. Forward Aaliyah Roberson has another year of eligibility remaining, but will miss the season with an ACL injury. 

With so many new faces, building relationships and team chemistry has been a big focus. Veteran players like Miles, Scherr and Suarez will be relied on for leadership and setting the tone. 

“Going into our last year, we want to have the most fun,” Suarez said. “We want to take the best out of it. We understand what it takes on the court, but also off the court, the impact of relationship-building, team bonding and how you present yourself to the team.”

TCU has found success amidst roster turnover before, and Campbell credits that to his coaching staff. He said they bring in players who have the right attitude, mindset and values. 

So far, it seems like the staff found another group willing to put in the time, energy and work required to meet the championship-level expectations now surrounding the Horned Frogs.  

“Our mantra this summer, our theme this summer was a ‘blue collar summer,’” Campbell said. “We got a whole new group, you got to start over from scratch, from ground zero. This group has done that. I will say this, they are the hardest working team that I’ve been around in my 18 years.” 

The mantra will be put to the test throughout the season. Close wins, tough losses and everything in between will further forge the relationships established during the summer and dictate just how high this team flies. 

“As the season unfolds when you have the right people in that locker room, you go through those shared experiences, that’s when you become a team that’s hard to kill,” Campbell said. “That’s when the magic happens. That’s when special stuff happens. Excited for the journey with this group.”

Oct 21, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; TCU head coach Mark Campbell speaks to media during Big 12 Womenís Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

Miles Talks Transfer

For the second year in a row, TCU landed the highest-rated player out of the transfer portal. Miles spent three-and-a-half years at Notre Dame, earned All-ACC honors three times and is the active Division I leader in career assists per game (6.5), career assists (654) and triple doubles (six).

She was projected to be the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, but elected to return to college and enter the transfer portal. 

“I felt like I needed one more year to get more confident in just being me, having fun and finding that joy for the game again,” Miles said in a television interview. 

TCU emerged as Miles’ top landing spot for several reasons, a key one being Campbell’s pick-and-roll offense.    

“My skill set is best shown in a pick-and-roll offense with space and time and ability to read defenses,” Miles said at the roundtable interview.  “I feel that’s really what’s going to translate to when I do go pro and I can just build those habits here.” 

Last season, Van Lith, another transfer point guard, excelled in Campbell’s offense. She came to TCU hoping to improve her draft stock and find joy in basketball again. 

Under Campbell’s guidance, Van Lith earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors and set the TCU single-season records for points (680) and assists (204). The Chicago Sky selected Van Lith at No. 11 in the 2025 WNBA draft. 

That success story became part of the recruiting pitch. 

“Hailey just blossomed with us in our system, in our style of play,” Campbell said on television. “And there was a joy, Hailey was back. That was our biggest billboard and selling point for recruits. Then, obviously, our team had great success.” 

Miles watched Van Lith’s development from afar and up close as Notre Dame played TCU twice last season. The Horned Frogs won both the regular season and NCAA Tournament meetings. 

Oct 21, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; TCUís Olivia Miles speaks to media during Big 12 Womenís Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

Campbell expects Miles to grow like Van Lith did in his offense, noting her goals include being a national player of the year candidate and the number one draft pick. 

“We’re gonna let ‘Liv rock,” Campbell said. “She’s gonna be high-usage and we’re gonna turn her loose and give her freedom.”

A previous relationship between Miles and Campbell helped with the decision-making process, too. Campbell recruited Miles out of high school while an assistant at Oregon. His personable approach left a lasting impression, even more than half a decade later. 

“When I entered the transfer portal and we picked up the phone, it was like no time had really passed,” Miles said. “That’s just a testament to who he is as a person and a coach. And that factored into my decision. I really wanted to go somewhere that had family-like beliefs and values, and relationship-building is at the forefront of what they do and how they operate.”  

What’s Next

TCU will open the season at Schollmaier Arena on Thursday, Nov. 6 against North Carolina A&T. Game time is set for 4 p.m.