TCU women’s baketball star Donovyn Hunter is aware her team has an a different makeup than those that typically make the Final Four. Including Hunter, the Horned Frogs’ 14-person roster has 10 transfer players.Yet, the junior guard is unfazed.
‘In my brain, it’s kind of funny because it’s a little bit normalized in my head of ‘Oh, it’s an easy process to mesh people together,’ but when you really take a step back and think about it, it’s hard,’ Hunter told USA TODAY Sports.
‘That’s a testament to the coaching staff, to [head coach] Mark [Campbell], as they are strategically figuring out, like, ‘OK, who do we want in the portal? Who are these graduate transfers or seniors, a lot of girls who are experienced in college basketball?”
TCU’s starting lineup is all transfer players. Hunter, who is in her second season under head coach Mark Campbell, came from Oklahoma State. After choosing to forego the 2025 WNBA draft, senior guard Olivia Miles transferred from Notre Dame. Senior forward Marta Suarez joined TCU after two seasons each at Tennessee and Cal. Sophomore center Clara Silva and senior guard Maddie Scherr both came from Kentucky. The remaining members of the roster are a mix of homegrown and transfer players.
Trying to fit that many new faces into an established culture could be challenging, but Hunter credits Campbell and staff for making the transition easy. She says they’ve enforced things like ‘pod meals’ each week, which require each player to eat with different teammates to encourage bonding outside of basketball. The players also take it upon themselves to hang out regularly, watching TV or visiting a haunted house, as they did last Halloween.
The established culture has supported Hunter during her best season yet. She’s averaging career highs in points (12.2 per game), rebounds (3.1 per game) and steals (1.5 per game). Hunter is shooting a career-high 47.3% from the field and 36.23% from 3. She credits Campbell’s encouragement and supportive presence. Hunter said she did a lot of offseason mental work as well to cultivate a more aggressive mindset and improve her basketball IQ.
‘It’s a mix of finally just being able to come in comfortable, having a role, having that leadership aspect and already knowing kind of what’s expected of me,’ Hunter said. ‘And that made it easier in the offseason to be able to work on things that I knew I wanted to personally work on, but then also know that it would translate automatically into the game, knowing the system already.’
Knowing TCU’s system and Campbell’s expectations helped Hunter step into her growing leadership role. When the Horned Frogs lost 87-77 in overtime to Utah, Hunter spoke up, ‘No negative talk, heads up,’ as their undefeated run ended. She remained optimistic because she knows what TCU is capable of, ranked 20th or better in the nation in multiple categories.
The Horned Frogs have the second-ranked scoring defense behind UConn, holding opponents to an average of 51.9 points a game. The team is also top 10 in blocks per game (6.1). On the offensive side, the Horned Frogs’ 48.9 field goal percentage is ranked ninth and they are averaging 82.4 points per game.
Miles powers TCU’s seventh-ranked 19.7 assists a game, averaging 7.3. Miles also has a nation-leading four triple-doubles this season. Hunter said she’s ‘crazy impressed’ by how the senior guard plays and sees the game. Still, Miles’ success hasn’t surprised Hunter because she believes TCU’s system, which is pick-and-roll heavy, has suited many of the team’s 10 transfers.
‘My mind was automatically excited when I heard that Olivia [Miles] was coming, just because I knew that she would get the ball moving,’ Hunter told USA TODAY. ‘She would get it flowing, and all of us would be able to efficiently use the system that Mark [Campbell] wants us to because she wants everybody involved.’
Hunter was surprised how invested Miles is despite this season being her last. (Miles is projected to be a first-round draft pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.) Miles shared with the team that she wants to be ‘bought in, all in, 10 toes down with y’all’, and that has translated to the court. That sort of mindset can also be felt in Suarez, another key player essential to TCU’s success.
The former Cal forward is second on the team in scoring (16.9 points a game) and third in rebounds (6.3). Suarez also leads the team in made 3-pointers (42). ‘That girl wants the ball to score,’ Hunter said of Suarez. Whether it’s practice, summer workouts, preseason workouts or any scrimmage, Suarez wants the points.
‘It’s awesome for us when we know we need a bucket,’ Hunter said, ‘Marta [Saurez is] going to deliver for us.’
True to form, it was Suarez who the Horned Frogs leaned on during a down-to-the-wire matchup against West Virginia. The TCU forward drained a 3-pointer to seal the Big 12 victory. While it’s not ideal to depend on pressure-filled shot to win games, it just left TCU wanting more. The Horned Frogs goal is simple: make the Final Four.
In 2025, TCU won its first Big 12 championship and reached the Elite Eight. The Horned Frogs beat No. 7 Louisville in the second round and Miles and the No. 3 Fighting Irish during the Sweet 16 before falling to No. 1 seed Texas, one game shy of the Final Four. According to Hunter, TCU can get back to the Elite Eight (and beyond) by heeding one hopeful Campbell motto.
‘I would say ― our coach says it all the time ― simple plays,’ Hunter said. ‘He always talks about ‘don’t get bored with being boring,’ which sounds very simple, but I think with basketball, it’s easy when you start to get into a flow, and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, so and so hit a crazy 3. You just had a crazy pass. Now let’s try some crazy wild things that were fully not even a part of the plan going into the game.’
‘Everyone at this point knows the offensive weapons that we have on the team and how everybody can get going each night, but if we lock in on defense and we focus in on the [intentionality] of that, I think that we really could make it far.’
