TCU working on an extension with women’s basketball coach Mark Campbell
TCU is working on a extension with women’s basketball coach Mark Campbell, athletic director Mike Buddie told reporters on Monday.
Since Buddie took over in January, it’s been a top priority to get an extension done with Campbell who has led the Horned Frogs to the best season in program history.
After a 8-23 finish in the 2022 season, the Horned Frogs parted ways with Raegan Pebly and TCU signed Campbell to a contract on March 21, 2023.
This season, the Horned Frogs won the program’s first Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships which helped TCU earn a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Campbell figures to be an attractive candidate for many programs that need a new coach and Buddie is fully aware he’ll have to fight off many challengers to keep Campbell in Fort Worth.
“No one has called about Coach Campbell, but they will,” Buddie said. “If nobody does, they’ve lost their minds. What he’s done in two seasons is almost impossible.”
Campbell was voted Coach of the Year in the league and has shown impressive skills as both a recruiter and a strategist on the court.
The Horned Frogs have signed big-name transfers like Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince the last two seasons thanks in large part to an attractive offense that prioritizes 3s and the pick and roll.
So how can TCU keep the rising coach star in Fort Worth? Buddie says it’ll be his job to show Campbell that he achieve all his ambitions with the Horned Frogs.
“It’s the same way we recruit student-athletes,” Buddie said. “You’ve got to convince them that Fort Worth is a phenomenal place to be. And then you’ve got to give them a gun. What I mean by that is he’s been in a gunfight with a knife.
“He was able to get three of the bigger names in the transfer portal to come here for less because he had relationships with them. Imagine what he can do if he goes into a gunfight with an actual gun?”
Buddie says the plan is to invest heavily in women’s basketball and make sure the Horned Frogs have the financial resources to keep momentum going.
“It’s incumbent on me to make sure we’ve provided him a fair market range in revenue sharing compared to the teams he’s trying to compete with,” Buddie said. “To be frank we’re trying to compete with South Carolina and UConn and UCLA. He’s proven that he can compete at that level.
“We know people are going to come after coach. I think he wants to be here and it’s up to me to find a way to keep him here.”
While no agreement has been signed yet, Buddie said he’s had positive conversations with Campbell and his representatives.
The Horned Frogs will host No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Schollmaier Arena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM.
