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TCU’s Hailey Van Lith is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories in the new era of unrestricted transfers.
In her first year at TCU, Van Lith has led the Horned Frogs to their first-ever Elite Eight berth. TCU took down Notre Dame Saturday afternoon in the Sweet 16, with a final score 71–62. Van Lith herself notched 26 points and nine rebounds.
Van Lith’s teams have made it to the Elite Eight every year she’s played in the NCAA, and she’s the first player to reach that round of the tournament with three different teams (Louisville in 2021, 2022, and 2023; and LSU in 2024).
“The ‘Miss March’ [nickname] is deserved and earned,” TCU coach Mark Campbell told reporters after the game. “In this era of the portal and the modern-day college athlete—and there are a lot of bad stories in the portal—but Hailey Van Lith leading three schools five times to the Elite Eight… Miss March, yes, she gets that title and she can own it.”
Van Lith isn’t the only transfer, however.
Campbell himself arrived in 2023, after a dismal season where the team went 1–17. In 2021, the NCAA had changed its rules to allow players to transfer once without penalty—but at the end of 2023, a federal judge forced the governing body to let athletes transfer as many times as they want.
So, Campbell hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in six newcomers last year and six this year, including Van Lith.
“The portal allows you to get old really quickly,” Campbell said. “It allows you to get talent really quickly, but a lot of people try it and it doesn’t work. … We value our culture. We value getting the right personalities, egos, alphas. As you put together a team, you have your basketball piece and your style of play… but you’ve got to get the locker room right. You’ve got to get the people part right.”
The Horned Frogs will face off against Texas in Birmingham on Monday night.
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