2023-24 TCU Women’s Basketball Recap: Guards

Madison Conner is set to return after a stellar junior season with the Horned Frogs.

The TCU women’s basketball team went into the transfer portal for several players after Mark Campbell took over as head coach last offseason. The Horned Frogs managed to snag a quartet of talented guards including former Arizona standout Madison Conner, who shined during her first year as a TCU athlete. Conner led the Horned Frogs in points scored for the season, averaging 19.2 points per game while shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range. Conner set a new single-season record for 3-pointers made in a season (100) as well as a new NCAA record for the most 3-pointers over a 10-game stretch to start a season (52).

Joining Conner in the TCU backcourt was former Baylor guard Jaden Owens, who enjoyed an outstanding start to her first season as a Horned Frog before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The graduate transfer started 17 games and averaged 7.9 points and 6.8 assists per game before a knee injury cut her final collegiate season short. TCU also welcomed in former Cal State Fullerton guard Una Jovanovic, who carved out a significant role of her own during the 2023-24 season, starting 32 games and averaging 7.1 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

With Conner and Jovanovic back in the fold for next season and Owens departing, TCU once again went into the transfer portal this offseason to add more talent to its roster. The Horned Frogs came away with a massive haul that included former LSU and Louisville star Hailey Van Lith, who brings with her one of the most recognizable names in college basketball. Van Lith comes to Fort Worth after one season with the Tigers and three seasons with the Cardinals, where she became one of the top scorers in women’s college basketball. Van Lith averaged 19.7 points per game during the 2022-23 season at Louisville.

TCU also signed former Kentucky guard Maddie Scherr as well as two former Pac-12 guards in Oregon State’s Donovyn Hunter and USC’s Taylor Bigby. Scherr arrives in Fort Worth after two seasons with the Wildcats and two seasons at Oregon, where she started her career. Scherr averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game during the 2023-24 season and has 87 career starts over her four-year collegiate career. Both Scherr and Van Lith enter the TCU program as graduate transfers for their final collegiate seasons.

Hunter was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team last season after averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 assists per game over 35 appearances, 34 of which were starts. Bigby brings efficient 3-point shooting to the Horned Frogs, as the former Trojan averaged 4.8 points and shot 39.8 percent from beyond the arc during the 2023-24 season at USC. Bigby spent two years with the Trojans after beginning her career at Oregon, where she played one season. Both Hunter and Bigby will provide necessary backcourt depth for the Horned Frogs, who lost freshman guard Victoria Flores and wing player Sydney Harris to the transfer portal.

Rounding out the notable returning guards is senior Agnes Emma-Nnopu, who will use her extra COVID eligibility and return as a fifth-year player for the 2024-25 campaign. The former Stanford transfer became an immediate starter for the Horned Frogs, appearing in 33 games with an averaged of 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. As the 2024-25 season approaches, TCU’s combination of experience and shooting talent should create plenty of optimism as the Horned Frogs look to build on their 21-12 record from last year.