The surge in this transfer could position TCU for multiple WNBA first-round selections
Could the TCU women’s basketball program land two first-round picks in the upcoming April WNBA draft?
TCU had already secured at least one first-rounder in 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 witnessing the rise of another standout 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 victory over Incarnate Word on Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
“I think my versatility has helped,” Suarez said regarding her rapid emergence 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 halted against the Cardinals, but the performance reinforced why she’s become a compelling prospect for WNBA teams.
Marta Suarez rises in WNBA mock drafts
With averages of 19.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, Suarez is showcasing a versatile offensive game that is drawing attention from analysts and scouts. She has been pegged as a top-10 pick by several outlets, including HoopsHype and Bleacher Report.
“At 6-3, Suarez has generally been seen as a forward, yet she displays guard-like skills with her passing ability, floor stretching, and decision-making as a playmaker out of ball screens,” Bleacher Report’s Rachel Galligan noted in her latest mock draft (Nov. 24).
Galligan’s projection has the Washington Mystics selecting Suarez with the ninth pick, after grabbing her teammate Miles at No. 4.
Suarez showed a full range of tools against Incarnate Word, a squad hungry for an upset. In the second quarter, she defended aggressively to force a miss,secured the rebound, and delivered a full-court outlet pass to junior guard Donovyn Hunter for a layup. Later, in the third, she played more like a traditional power forward, slicing through the lane for a bucket and then pulling down two consecutive offensive rebounds as TCU stretched their lead to 50-37.
In one possession, Suarez can drive the offense as a big guard; in the next, she can operate as a bruising post option. “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 shooting, her ability to post up, and her passing let her play multiple ways, including guarding the opponent’s four or five.”
That versatility has been a key driver of the Horned Frogs’ hot start, with Suarez complementing Miles and Hunter perfectly.
“She’s on those draft boards because she’s a pro talent,” Campbell added. “There aren’t many players who stand 6-3, combine strength with elite guard skills, and can impact the game from multiple positions.”
Suarez’s ascent isn’t a surprise to observers who remember her productive stint at Cal. She began her college career at Tennessee for two seasons before transferring to Cal, where she averaged 12.4 points as a starter over two seasons. Yet Suarez sought more than steady production; she aimed to become among the nation’s best, which led her to TCU and Campbell’s pro-style system.
Marta Suarez makes a leap as a 3-point threat
With more space and creative ball movement, Suarez has thrived, and her biggest improvement has come as a shooter. She had never shot above 32% from three in her first four seasons, but this year she’s connecting at 41.8% on 3-pointers.
What makes that efficiency even more impressive is that she’s taking a career-high 6.1 three-pointers per game. It’s rare for a player to transform from merely decent to elite in a single offseason, especially with such volume, underscoring the work Suarez put in over the summer.
“I was just getting shots up,” Suarez said. “I always believed I could be a great shooter, and now I’m at a place where they really want you to put in that work in a very positive way. It was a great summer, I had a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time in the gym. Having a team that embraces the pick-and-roll and leverages shooters off that action gave me extra motivation.”
Suarez represents a rare blend of size, skill, and toughness, giving the Horned Frogs one of the most distinctive players in the country.
Her skill set is so unique that even Miles, who loves NBA 2K and often creates her own player, could only imagine Suarez as a hypothetical build. When asked what kind of player she would be if Miles could pair Suarez with her, Miles paused and answered with a light laugh: “She’d be a two-way, 3-point slashing specialist or something like that.”
Such exceptional versatility makes Suarez not only a potential first-round selection but also a major factor in TCU’s ongoing pursuit of a potential Final Four run.
Game schedule highlights
Next up: game dates, times, and locations
- Dec. 5 at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
- Dec. 6 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV
- Dec. 12 vs. Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV
- Dec. 15 at Utah, 8 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV
Dec. 18 vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV
Dec. 5 vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 7 vs. North Texas (at Dickies Arena), 4:30 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 15 vs. Incarnate Word, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 18 vs. Oral Roberts, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 21 vs. Florida A&M, 3 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 6 vs. UTEP, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 14 vs. Jacksonville, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 16 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 20 vs. Kansas State, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 31 at BYU, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Dec. 5 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m., Victory+
Dec. 7 vs. Pittsburgh, 5 p.m., Victory+
Dec. 9 at Winnipeg, 7 p.m., Victory+
Dec. 11 at Minnesota, 7 p.m., Victory+
Dec. 13 vs. Florida, 7 p.m., Victory+
Regular season complete; awaiting bowl destination
American Athletic Conference title game
Dec. 5 at Tulane, 7 p.m., ABC
Dec. 4 at Detroit, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
Dec. 14 vs. Minnesota, 7:20 p.m., NBC
Dec. 21 vs. L.A. Chargers, noon, Fox
Dec. 25 at Washington, noon, Netflix
Jan. 3 or 4 at N.Y. Giants, TBD
Dec. 13-14 Xtreme Xperience
