The rise of this transfer could give TCU multiple WNBA first-round picks
Could TCU women’s basketball end up with two first-round picks in April’s WNBA draft?
The Horned Frogs knew they were getting at least one first-rounder with Olivia Miles, an All-American senior transfer from Notre Dame who has been projected as a top-five pick.
Miles has lived up to the hype, and now the Horned Frogs (9-0) are seeing a new star emerge in Marta Suarez. The 6-3 senior transfer forward from Cal continued her breakout season with 16 points and 12 rebounds in No. 8 TCU’s 84-56 win over Incarnate Word on Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
“I think my versatility has helped,” Suarez said of her fast start in Fort Worth. “And the fact that we have so many assets on the team allows me to explore, make decisions, and the coaches have given me freedom.”
Suarez’s six-game streak of scoring at least 19 points in a game was snapped against the Cardinals, but the performance further reinforced why she’s become such an intriguing prospect for WNBA teams.
Marta Suarez rises in WNBA mock drafts
Averaging 19.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, Suarez is showcasing a versatile offensive game that is starting to make analysts and scouts take notice. She has been pegged as a top-10 pick by multiple outlets, including Hoops Hype and Bleacher Report.
“At 6-3, Suarez has been primarily considered a forward but displays guard skills with her ability to pass, stretch the floor and make decisions out of ball-screen action as a playmaker,” Bleacher Report analyst Rachel Galligan said in her latest mock draft Nov. 24.
Galligan has the Washington Mystics taking Suarez with the ninth pick after grabbing her teammate Miles at No. 4.
Suarez had her full arsenal on display against an Incarnate Word team that was hungry for an upset. She had a sequence in the second quarter when she played great defense to force a missed shot, grabbed the rebound and then eventually a made a full-court outlet pass to junior guard Donovyn Hunter for a layup.
Later in the third quarter, Suarez played like a more traditional power forward as she cut through the lane to finish a basket, and then she got two straight putbacks by crashing the offensive glass as TCU took a 50-37 lead.
On one possession Suarez can initiate the offense as a big guard, and on the next she can play the prototypical role as a bruiser on the block.
“Marta’s truly a matchup nightmare. She’s our ideal stretch four,” coach Mark Campbell said Wednesday. “She’s a guard in a forward’s body. Her ability to shoot it, post up and pass, she can bring it and transition, and she can guard the other team’s four or five. Marta allows you to play so many different ways.”
That versatility is a big reason the Horned Frogs have gotten off to such a hot start, as Suarez has been the perfect complement to Miles and Hunter.
“She’s on those draft boards because she’s a pro talent,” Campbell said. “There’s not many 6-3, strong, physical basketball players with elite guard skills.”
Suarez’s rise isn’t a complete surprise, as she was a productive player with the Golden Bears. She started her career at Tennessee for two seasons, but eventually transferred to Cal, where she averaged 12.4 points in two seasons as a starter.
But Suarez wanted to be more than just a productive player; she wanted to be one of the best in the country, which led her to TCU and Campbell’s pro-style offensive attack.
Marta Suarez makes leap as 3-point shooter
With more spacing and creativity, Suarez has flourished, and the biggest leap she’s taken has been as a shooter. She never shot above 32% on 3-pointers in her first four seasons, but she has knocked down 41.8% of her 3s this season.
What makes Suarez’s efficiency more impressive is the fact that she’s also averaging a career-high 6.1 3-point attempts per game. It’s rare to see a player go from below average to elite in just one offseason, especially on that type of volume, but it’s a testament to the work Suarez put in this summer.
“I was just getting shots up, man,” Suarez said. “I always believed I could be a great shooter, and now I’m at a place where they really want you to get that work in a very positive way. It was a great summer, I had a lot of fun. I was in the gym a lot. Having a team that likes the pick-and-roll and how it helps with shooters off of that, it was just motivation for me.”
Suarez is the rare blend of size, skill and physicality, giving the Horned Frogs one of the unique basketball players in the country.
Her skill set is so rare it’s hard to even duplicate on a video game. Miles is an avid gamer, spending a lot of time on NBA2K, which allows users to create their own unique players.
If she had a chance to make Suarez, what type of player would she be? After a long pause Miles finally settled on her answer.
“She would be a two-way, 3-point slashing specialist or something like that,” Miles said with a chuckle.
They just don’t make many players like Suarez, in real life and in video games. That rare versatility not only makes her a potential first round pick, it enhances TCU’s chances of reaching a Final Four.
