There’s something to be said about making history.
What should be said is “Thank you.”
So thank you TCU Lady Frogs basketball. You gave us the most excitement we’ve ever experienced with TCU hoops – women or men.
And it might not have happened had a group of players who were ordinary students at the time, who had either diverted their attention to solely academics or who simply weren’t considered good enough to play NCAA Division I college ball, hadn’t stepped up and came to the rescue.
Thank you for giving us inspiration. We watched as the program was on the verge of forfeiting half a season a year ago, only to be transformed into one of the nation’s best this season.
Let that soak in. They almost didn’t finish the 2023-24 season and now they are coming off a 34-4 season, the best ever for any TCU basketball team regardless of gender, a conference regular season and tournament championship, reaching their first NCAA Tournament since 2010 and advancing to the Elite Eight.
While the term can be overused, it’s safe to call this one a comeback for the ages.
The 2023-24 season began with such hopes after a 14-0 start with new head coach Mark Campbell. Then came every coach, player and fan’s nightmare, injuries and illness took such a toll that there weren’t enough players to put a team on the court.
In fact, the Lady Frogs had to forfeit two games, extending a losing streak to six. Suddenly, the magical season reverted back to the old ways and was looking more like the 8-23 overall and 1-17 team in conference from the season before.
But instead of succumbing to their dire situation, calling it the worst of luck (which it was) and ending the season – literally – Campbell and the Lady Frogs took a different route. They held open tryouts.
A group of players, only one of who is still on the roster (Ella Hamlin of Granbury), who still had an itch for the game they thought was behind them, suddenly became the program’s saviors. They weren’t stars, those four players, and they won’t make it into the school’s record book or hall of honor, but they earned a special place in the school’s history by saving the program.
After all, it’s questionable that the likes of all-everything transfer Hailey Van Lith comes to town if the program didn’t battle back. But she did, and she made her own history by taking a third team to the Elite Eight in her five seasons of college ball (Louisville and LSU previously).
Hamlin, by the way, received a full scholarship for her heroics.
While the 2023-24 season didn’t end as spectacular as it began, the Lady Frogs finished 21-12 and advanced to the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. Quite the accomplishment, given the battles they endured during the war of a season.
In the end, they completed the season and won almost three times as many games as the season before Campbell was hired. Furthermore, he proved himself to be a great coach, one who knows how to find success under the greatest of pressure.
And there is certainly no greater pressure than being on the verge of having your very first season come to an end prematurely for reasons beyond your control.
Where does this just concluded Lady Frogs’ season rank in the annals of TCU greatness? It’s right there alongside the 2022 football team that played for a national championship, the 2010
football squad that finished 13-0, or the baseball team’s six College World Series appearances since 2010.
As for what lies ahead, the stage is set for continued success. The right coach is in place, the program is on the map nationally and with the transfer portal and NIL money, here’s betting more players like Lith will find their way onto the Lady Frogs’ roster.
So, thank you Lady Frogs – and a special thanks to the players who came forward when the team was in desperate need last season. You literally saved TCU women’s basketball.