The TCU Women’s Basketball program is unrecognizable compared to the state of the team just a few years ago.
In the three years before Mark Campbell’s arrival, the Horned Frogs finished with records of 4-14, 2-16, and 1-17 in Big 12 play. TCU had not made the tournament since the 2009-2010 season and the program had a bleak outlook on the future.
Then, in Mark Campbell’s first year as head coach, the program took another blow as TCU had to forfeit multiple games and hold open tryouts due to a bevy
of injuries that derailed the season. Even after a very successful campaign last year, there were questions about how TCU would bounce back from losing their three leading scorers.
These battles with adversity seem a distant memory now, however, as TCU is set to earn its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and has clinched its second straight Big 12 conference title.
This incredible change in the direction of TCU is due in large part to the decision of Olivia Miles to forgo the WNBA Draft and transfer to TCU for her final year at the collegiate level. Miles is having one of the most impactful seasons ever by a TCU basketball player and is leaving an incredible legacy on the program for this season and years to come.
With a potentially historic postseason run around the corner, I wanted to take a look at what Miles has accomplished this season and put into perspective for Frog fans what this season from Miles means to this year’s team, the women’s basketball program, and the university overall.
Established TCU on the National Stage
In the final home game of TCU’s 2022-2023 regular season, the Horned Frogs lost by 23 points to Kansas in a game that was attended by less than 2,000 people.
Just three years later, over 5,000 people piled into Schollmaier Arena to watch the Horned Frogs face off against Iowa State and TCU hosted College Gameday before a game against Baylor for the first time in TCU Men’s or Women’s Basketball history.
Miles and TCU have earned complete buy-in from TCU fans and it has led to the longest active home winning streak in the nation at 42 games. Miles has forced the national media to pay attention to the seismic shift happening in the TCU Women’s Basketball program with record setting performances including five triple-doubles this season.
Miles entered the record books by becoming the third player in NCAA history to have three straight games with triple-doubles. Miles recorded a stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against UTEP, 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against Jacksonville, and 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against UAPB.
What was even more impressive was that Miles shot at least 50% from the field and at least 40% from beyond the arc in all three of those games. Miles’s historic season has created a winning environment around TCU Women’s Basketball that has caught the eye of both Frog fans and the rest of the nation.
Proved TCU can elevate the draft stock of top players
Heading into this last offseason, Miles was already a projected high first round pick for the 2025 WNBA draft. Miles was viewed as a superb playmaker with solid scoring ability, a willingness and ability to battle for rebounds, and active hands on the defensive end.
While that player profile describes a very effective basketball player, Miles has flashed her superstar potential this season at TCU as a number one scoring option while still maintaining elite playmaking vision and passing ability. Miles saw her scoring jump by five points per game from her last season at Notre Dame to this season at TCU, while shooting even more efficiently from the field.
Mark Campbell saw an unlocked part of Miles’s game and used his pick-and-roll heavy offensive system to show the rest of the nation what a dangerous scorer Miles can be.
The best example of Miles’s dynamic scoring ability was her electric outing on the road against number 12 ranked Baylor. The Horned Frogs were coming off of a deflating loss on the road against Colorado and had back-to-back ranked teams ahead on the schedule.
TCU needed to make a run down the stretch to defend their Big 12 regular season title and Miles responded to this pressure with a 40 point, six rebound, three assist, and two steal performance to take down the Bears in Waco. Miles knocked down ten threes and shot 50% from beyond the arc in what was one of the most memorable performances in TCU history.
Championship level teams need a No. 1 scorer that they know can get a bucket in clutch moments of important games, and Miles demonstrating the ability to be a go-to scorer in addition to a playmaker has raised the ceiling of this TCU team.
Miles knew that she had more scoring ability that could be unlocked, identified TCU as a place where she could show that talent, and proved to the rest of the country that TCU is a place that highly thought of players can go to elevate their draft stock and develop into superstars.
Raised the expectation for TCU Women’s Basketball
TCU lost its leading scorer in Hailey Van Lith, its double-double machine in Sedona Prince, its best shooter in Madison Conner, and a very important three-and-D player in Agnes Emma-Nnopu this offseason to the WNBA Draft and graduation. The Horned Frogs made an incredible run to the elite eight, but brought back very little returning production.
It would have been very easy for Campbell to fully step into a rebuild, focus on high school recruiting, and accept a step back this season. However, Campbell was able to secure the commitment of Miles and in turn set the standard for TCU to be a contender in the Big 12 year in and year out.
The 2024-25 team proved that success at TCU is very possible, Miles and this year’s team has proven that success at TCU is sustainable and is now the expectation. Miles has stepped seamlessly into a new system on a team with just two returning rotational players and made the offense look like they have been playing together for years.
Campbell and Miles did not accept what many viewed as a rebuilding year and successfully defended the Big 12 regular season title. This resiliency was on full display in the game against Iowa State at home on February 22. Through three quarters Iowa State had largely controlled the game. The TCU offense was struggling to make shots and it looked like TCU’s chances at a second straight Big 12 title were going to take a hit.
That all changed when Miles took over the game in the fourth quarter. Miles made six of seven attempts from the floor and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead TCU to a comeback win and to retain first place in the Big 12 standings. Feeding off of Miles’s performance, the Horned Frogs outscored the Cyclones 31-15 over the final 10 minutes to keep their home winning streak alive.
Miles and TCU have shown that last year was not a one hit wonder, but instead a coming out party for a new perennial contender in the Big 12 and the country. Miles has drawn eyes to the TCU program, proven that TCU is an elite developer of talent, and reset the expectations for what TCU can accomplish as a program.
With what should be a memorable postseason still to come, Olivia Miles has redefined the standard of TCU Women’s Basketball.
