FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles just wanted to make the right decision on where to play her final season in college, and the dynamic guard picked a TCU squad coached by Mark Campbell coming off its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance.
Marta Suarez, the 6-foot-3 forward with elite guard skills, said with a smile that she chose the No. 9 Horned Frogs because, “they told me Olivia Miles was coming.”
Miles and Suarez, who just became only the second NCAA Division I teammates with triple-doubles in the same game, are part of another transfer-replenished TCU roster. The undefeated defending Big 12 champion Frogs (12-0) play their conference opener at home Saturday against Kansas State.
“I talked to endless people about (Campbell), about the team culture, because that was something I really prioritized coming in. I wanted a really selfless group and a caring and loving environment, and that’s all that I heard about TCU,” said Miles, who is averaging 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and a Big 12-best 7.9 assists a game. “So I kind of took a leap of faith. Ultimately, you don’t really know until you’re in it, and it’s paying off.”
TCU has extended its school-record home winning streak to 33 games, with Miles and Suarez both having triple-doubles in the latest, 109-54 over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday. That was the third triple-double in a row and ninth overall for Miles, who played 101 games for Notre Dame the past five years and missed all of 2023-24 because of a torn right ACL.
Miles was a projected WNBA draft lottery pick before opting instead for another season in college. The 5-10 guard’s last game with the Fighting Irish was an NCAA Sweet 16 loss to TCU in March, with transfers Haley Van Lith and Sedona Prince wrapping up their college careers.
Along with being the third Division I women’s player with three triple-doubles in a row — nobody has four — Miles has at least 15 points and five assists in every game for TCU. That 12-game streak is an NCAA record for consecutive 15-5 games to start a season.
The Big 12 is the fourth major conference for Suarez, who was in the Southeastern Conference at Tennessee for three years before 66 starts at California the past two seasons, first in the Pac-12 before the Bears moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Suarez is averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists with TCU. Her 20-10-10 game Tuesday was her first career triple-double.
“We’re just lucky to have an amazing group of girls that care about the team, care about this journey that we’re on and care about each other, and I think it translates,” Suarez said. “I think we have a lot of fun with it. … People like us that have come from different schools, we know that’s what matters. You win more when you have fun with it and you love the people around you.”
All the transfers
Miles and Suarez are among six new transfers, the same number the Frogs had last season before a record-setting 34 wins. All five starters first played at other schools.
Guard Maddie Scherr and 6-7 sophomore center Clara Silva are both transfers from Kentucky, and guard Donovyn Hunter started 21 games last season after coming from Oregon State. The first player off the bench is former Southern California player Taylor Bigby, a 25-game starter last season when Scherr took a medical redshirt because of a back issue.
“It’s hard to bring in new people and have that chemistry again and being able to be a part of what I was a part of last year. I definitely feel like the camaraderie is there,” Bigby said.
“We have a special locker room. It means everything,” said Campbell, who is 67-16 in his third season at TCU. “In the portal era, it is so hard, and I’ve said this with last year’s group, to get a group of people that truly enjoy each other, that have a blast going through this journey, this grind together, that are all in with two feet. We have another group that’s doing that.”
Select company for Miles
Miles had a season-high 25 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists in her latest triple-double, after a combined 30 points, 21 rebounds and 21 assists the previous two. Only Sabrina Ionescu (26) and Caitlin Clark (17) had more career triple-doubles in college than the nine by Miles.
“It’s a cool thing to do, to be included with those names, some of the greats of the game. It’s a testament to my consistency and just hard work that I put in the offseason,” Miles said. “But at the end of the day, as long as we’re winning, I’m really happy.”
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