The center position was solid on both ends of the floor for TCU this season.
The final part of our positional recap series for the 2024-2025 TCU Women’s Basketball team is the centers. These players played pivotal roles in Mark Campbell’s pick-and-roll-heavy offensive system and in a defensive scheme that funneled opposing ball handlers toward shot blockers.
Sedona Prince
During her two seasons at TCU, Sedona Prince was one of the best two-way players TCU Women’s Basketball has ever put on the court. In 2024-2025, Prince averaged an impressive 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game and was part of a dominant two-man game with Hailey Van Lith that drove the TCU offense this past season. Prince was an excellent screen setter, putting defenses in conflict in having to pick between guarding her on the roll or guarding Van Lith. Prince had the ability to finish in the paint through contact or knock down midrange jumpers if opposing defenses gave her too much space. Prince was an efficient offensive player, making 58% of her shots from the field, 72.8% of her free throws, and only averaging 1.9 turnovers per game despite seeing a high volume of touches. One underrated aspect of her game was her passing. Prince did a great job of finding open shooters when teams collapsed on her in the paint, as well as making lead passes to cutters from the post. When teams face guarded Van Lith and tried denying her the ball, Prince did a solid job of feeding her on back-door cuts for free lanes to the basket.
Even though the 2024-2025 TCU Women’s Basketball team was undersized as a whole, they were rarely overmatched on the boards, and Prince was a big reason for that, nearly averaging a double-double. Prince was effective in creating second-chance points for TCU, with 2.2 offensive rebounds per game.
TCU’s defense this past season played a heavy dose of drop coverage against ball screens, which require solid footwork and rim protection from the center, and Prince provided both for the Frogs. In drop coverage, the center has to split the difference between guarding the ball and the screener to prevent open layups, and Prince showcased solid quickness for her tall frame. Prince anchored one of the best defenses in the nation with excellent rim protection.
Grade: A
Deasia Merrill
One of the most underrated depth pieces for TCU this season was Deasia Merrill. Early in conference play, TCU struggled to close out games strong, in part due to fatigue as the starters were playing an unsustainable amount of minutes and were not at full strength down the stretch of games. In response to this, Mark Campbell gave Merrill more opportunities to spell Prince and keep her fresh for the fourth quarter. Merrill stepped up admirably in this role, providing solid interior scoring and rebounding as well as solid post defense for the Frogs. The Georgia State transfer averaged just 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in her only season with the Frogs, but was a key player in a few big wins for TCU. Her most impactful performance came on the road against Iowa State, where she played 18 minutes in place of Prince, who fouled out. Merrill had six points, eight rebounds, one assist, and two blocks. She was also key in holding Iowa State star Audi Crooks to just 46% shooting from the field, significantly below her 60% season average. Merrill showcased solid finishing talent around the rim and was a reliable free throw shooter at 72% on the season. Merrill was a very important player off the bench for the Frogs this past season.
Grade: C
Overall
While the center position was not super deep for TCU, Prince and Merrill were both important players who excelled in their roles on both ends of the floor. Both players are out of eligibility, and Campbell will need to find contributors at center to make up for that loss of production.
Cumulative Grade: B+