Where TCU women’s basketball stands after a busy transfer portal season
After making a second straight Elite Eight, TCU women’s basketball used a slightly different approach to reload its roster for 2026-27.
The previous two cycles saw TCU sign some of the biggest names in the sports, Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Miles, with both players being catalysts for deep NCAA Tournament runs.
The Horned Frogs don’t have a player committed this offseason with that type of notoriety, but head coach Mark Campbell has still been able to assemble one of the top transfer portal classes.
Instead of focusing on players who would have one year of eligibility like Miles and Van Lith, Campbell focused on bringing in players who will have multiple years to develop in the program. TCU isn’t just building for next season; the program is setting itself up have strong foundations in 2028 and 2029, assuming most of the players remain.
It’s a different approach, but one that could be the key to the Horned Frogs making the jump to the very top of the sport with the likes of South Carolina, Texas, UConn and now defending national champion UCLA. Those programs land their fair share of transfers, but also prioritize developing their cores over multiple years.
Here’s where TCU’s roster stands after a busy transfer portal season:
Returners
Starters: Clara Silva (9.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks)
Key reserves: Clara Bielefeld (2.0 points, 3.0 rebounds), Sarah Portlock (redshirt)
Breakdown: The Horned Frogs will return just three pieces from last year’s Elite Eight run. Silva, a 6-foot-7 center, was one of the best rim protectors in the country. She is still scratching the surface of her potential, especially offensively, and could take a big leap in the offseason. There’s a similar hope for Bielefeld, a 6-3 wing who played a decent amount during her freshman season.
Portlock, a 6-8 Australian, redshirted last season, but is expected to play more in the fall.
Departures
WNBA: Olivia Miles, Marta Suarez, Taylor Bigby
Graduation: Veronica Sheffey, Kennedy Basham, Maddie Scherr, Natalie Mazurek
Transfers: Donovyn Hunter (UCLA), Taliyah Parker (Florida), Aaliyah Roberson (TBD), Emily Hunter (TBD)
Breakdown: The Horned Frogs saw plenty of production leave the program, led by its trio of WNBA draftees. Miles was an All-American point guard and Big 12 Player of the Year. Suarez had a breakout season and was a first-team All-Big 12 forward. Bigby played her best basketball in March and was a key starter the past two seasons.
For the transfers, the departure of Hunter will sting, as she is one of the best defenders in college basketball. A part of Hunter’s decision was her desire to play point guard, the position she would likely play in the WNBA, but that role wasn’t guaranteed at TCU. Roberson missed last year with an injury, Hunter redshirted, and Parker played in 20 games, but averaged 1.6 points per game.
Among the graduates, Sheffey and Basham were two key reserves off the bench and will be missed. Scherr initially started the season, but missed most of Big 12 play and March Madness with an injury. Replacing so much production on both sides of the court would be a challenge for any program.
Additions
Transfers: Jadyn Wooten (Oklahoma State), Lanie Grant (North Carolina), Lara Somfai (Stanford), Bella Hines (LSU), Camille Williams (Miami), Avery Hjelmstad (Utah)
International: Laura Vilcinskas (Belgium), Jessie-May Hall (Australia)
Breakdown: Each of TCU’s transfers are sophomores or freshmen, led by Wooten. She will assume the role of lead guard in TCU’s spread pick-and-roll scheme after she averaged 12.8 points and 5.4 assists with the Cowgirls. Sources indicate Somfai will be the replacement for Suarez at power forward after Somfai averaged 10.9 points and 9.1 rebounds as a freshman.
Grant is one of the best shooters in college basketball, knocking down 42% of her 3s last season. Hjelmstad was a key reserve for the Utes last season, and with her size at 6-1, she can play guard or on the wing. Hines fought her way into the rotation at LSU with her defensive intensity, and the freshman was also a top-50 recruit coming out of New Mexico.
Williams, a Fort Worth native and Boswell alum, redshirted last season. She was viewed as a top-40 recruit by ESPN. The addition of Hines and Williams are examples of how the portal can be used to supplement high school recruiting. You may miss out on a player initially, only to have another chance a year later.
The six-woman group is talented and fits Campbell’s scheme. He is also clearly betting on his and the staff’s ability to develop talent, which is understandable considering the success TCU has had in molding players like Suarez and Madison Conner into WNBA draft picks.
Vilcinskas and Hall will become the latest international players to be developed in Fort Worth, joining Suarez, Bielefeld and Silva. Vilcinskas, the 6-5 center, has played the past three years for Kangoeroes in Belgium’s top division. Hall is an electric guard from Sydney who averaged 22 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.7 steals per game for the Hornsby Spiders in 2025 in the NBL1 East Conference.
What’s next?
With 11 players on the roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if TCU is done in the portal. The Horned Frogs have plenty of depth at center and at guard with the arrival of Wooten, Hines and Williams.
The Horned Frogs could potentially use another player at power forward to back up Somfai, but that’s where the versatile Bielefeld could come in.
TCU will be much younger than it has been the past two seasons, but the Horned Frogs’ roster will be filled with players who have plenty of upside and are talented enough to contend in the Big 12.
