TCU women's basketball head coach Mark Campbell met with the media after the Frogs defeated Tulsa 82-50. The Horned Frogs improved to 8-0 for the first time in program history with the victory.
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00:00 All right, thanks everyone for being here we have TC head coach Mark Campbell
00:04 Following the head coach will have Jaden Owens and Madison Connor to get it started
00:09 We'll begin with an opening statement from the head coach and then open the room for some questions
00:12 Well, that was sure fun
00:16 Glad I got to be court side to watch that performance, but just proud of the team on both sides of the ball
00:21 Did a great job in our zone and it really slowed him down and allowed us to get out in transition and in
00:29 transition were explosive
00:31 Jaden Owens does such a good job putting pressure on the defense and finding the open player tonight. It was Madison and
00:38 We all know Madison. It's like a volcano ready to erupt at any point
00:44 She has just such a unique
00:47 Gift with her shooting ability
00:50 And it's her she's in the gym every day. She's the last one to leave every day
00:56 Yeah, so we knew that there was a time that this would come and she just needed the looks and she got those tonight
01:03 So just a great overall win versus a great team
01:06 You you mentioned Madison in the performance that she had
01:10 She had trips or she's hitting three threes in a row or whatever
01:14 Just talk about the way her shooting can kind of change the course of the game. You know her shooting it the momentum
01:19 That it can give you the spark that it can give you and the pressure it puts on a defense
01:24 It's it's Steph Curry ish where it it tilts the whole
01:28 Court where they have to hug her and it opens up huge driving lanes
01:33 It opens up opportunities for Sedona and so even when Madison's not hitting them
01:38 Just having her on the court it opens things up for us and and tonight though
01:43 I mean, I don't know she hit ten threes. I would love to know how many of those were from Jaden
01:48 attacking driving and creating and those two have
01:52 They've had such a special synergy since they started playing together
01:57 You would have no idea that this there's their eight games into their career playing together
02:01 But it's been that way since the summertime or foreign tour those two have looked like they've been playing together for years
02:09 Well, Jaden had 11 assists just talk about her vision and her ability to
02:13 Find other other people J what Jaden's doing. She doesn't get the credit. She deserves. She is
02:21 orchestrating a brand new system that she's never ran with 14 new players that she's never played with and
02:28 She she is literally the little general out there for us and she makes it look easy and it's not it's incredibly hard to do
02:36 To learn a new system in one offseason and orchestrate the way she she is
02:41 I mean she had 11 assists and two turnovers tonight
02:44 It's hard for us to take her off the court because she makes everything just flow so smoothly
02:49 Well, she had seven boards for a guard. That's that's a high number
02:52 She's active. You can't scout Jaden because the thing she does you can't take away
02:58 She she's just so gifted at taking what the defense gives her and she makes the right read and she finds the right person whether
03:05 It's the roller or whether it's a kick out three and she just does it over and over and so
03:10 her IQ her vision
03:13 It's incredible and as a fifth year senior, she's been through the war. She's been through the battles
03:19 And so can't say enough about Jaden Owens
03:21 Near the end of the second half you guys went on 12 to run
03:25 And it felt like that kind of opened things up for you give you guys a spark
03:29 What what changed in that stretch there near the end of the first half? We finally that second quarter
03:34 We held the eight points and so we have a hard time getting stops in the first quarter
03:38 And we're taking the ball out of the net and if you're taking the ball out of that
03:42 It's hard to be good transition. And so that second quarter we went to zone that really slowed him down
03:47 They struggled with that and we were able to get some rebounds and get out and push it
03:51 And so I think this all was a game-changer and it allowed us to really get out and push the tempo
03:56 And that's where Madison got loose
03:58 It knows the best certain program history
04:04 I mean and like you like you've talked about this team that hasn't played together before to be able to
04:09 Accomplish something like that. What's it say about these girls in this program? Yeah the whole thing. It's magical
04:17 The Lord opened the door for me to come to this school and to lead this program that had been at rock bottom
04:23 I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to start a new era and going eight and oh for the first time in school history
04:31 We're the only BCS school in the country that's starting five kids from the portal
04:37 And to take a group that's never played together and to watch the joy that they have on the bench
04:46 The kids that are playing the kids that are in it looks like they're a seasoned group and and they're not there eight games into this
04:53 Journey, and so it's just been a blessing to have the young women that stayed and stuck it out. There's six of them
04:59 There's two freshmen that signed previously that stuck it out
05:03 And then there's six kids from the portal and those those 14 kids just deserve
05:08 So much credit to come together and create create this family environment
05:14 But it's contagious. I think the fans feel it. I think the style of play the kids have joy for each other
05:20 It's just it's awesome. It's magical
05:22 Thank you saw a little bit tonight
05:24 They're starting to chant MVP for Madison is as she's going on what she's do I mean just I think kind of like you said
05:31 It's contagious. Yeah, and
05:33 There's a humble spirit to this group. It's kind of a lot of kids that didn't have this opportunity at other places
05:41 And like Madison loves the game of basketball and she works her tail off. She just didn't quite have this opportunity
05:47 At a previous school and so she's taken advantage of it and Sedona
05:53 Had a limited role before and she's taken advantage of it and Agnes was at Stanford
05:59 And these are great programs that they were part, but they just didn't quite have the role that they wanted
06:03 And so it's just neat and there's a very hungry humble spirit to this group
06:09 Yes, I see you next on Tuesday
06:12 Talk about what stands out about that team and as you you look at them
06:15 What's something like you guys want to focus on in that game?
06:18 I haven't even watched one second our staff does a tremendous job with our scouts and
06:25 I I lock in on the team and the task at hand and pour myself into Tulsa and we have a coach has been studying them
06:34 And so tomorrow when we show up at the office the scouting report will be done and we'll walk through that and watch film and turn
06:40 The page but to be honest right now, I couldn't even talk about it
06:43 So I guess just just for you guys what's something that you're you want your team to kind of just keep working on focusing on moving forward
06:49 Yeah, I think it's this is uncharted territory for this group. And so you you start off the season. We're picked ninth
06:57 In league and so there's been a chip on their shoulder and I'll make sure this group doesn't lose that chip
07:03 And and you got to stay hungry and you got to keep working
07:07 and so this whole thing's new and so you want to celebrate it because
07:12 What we're doing special and it's really hard and you want to celebrate and find joy in that at the same time
07:19 You want them not to lose the chip on their shoulder and you want them to stay hungry. So it's balancing those two things
07:24 Don't you talk about the chip does that come from each individual player, especially the ones coming out of the portal
07:30 I know some were counted on, you know at Jaden's the starting point guard Taylor
07:35 That's a big time role, but not every kid had a big time role like they did here
07:38 I think it's an entire staff and the entire program. I mean start with me. I came from little Sacramento State
07:45 I'm out there in the big sky
07:47 I don't even know how many people knew who I was and so our staff
07:52 You know that it starts with that with me and then go through our roster six of these kids went one in 17 in the big
07:59 12 a year ago. Those kids are hungry. Those kids want to win and then go through the list Jaden included
08:05 Didn't totally love her experience and but go through all of it
08:10 Luna was in the big West and a little mid-major and so
08:14 There's a group of people staff and players that definitely have a chip on our shoulder and that's galvanized us
08:23 It's something that's brought us all together and it's something that's kind of been a little rallying cry for us
08:28 And I think it's contributed to the excitement and the joy that the team has and each other's success
08:35 How does it feel just your first year here and not only you but also men's basketball just being undefeated and reaching new accolades that haven't really
08:43 Been talked about in previous years
08:45 Well, it's been it's awesome
08:47 Coach Dixon and his staff have been incredible to us. They've been so gracious to us since we've gotten here
08:54 But the TCU athletic department its success across the board and you're kind of the one program that
09:02 Really needed to dig out of a deep hole
09:04 And so you look around and you're following everybody's seasons and it's just elite success. And so there's incredible leadership here
09:12 incredible support
09:15 But you know when you have something that's special and watching what men's basketball is doing and how they're undefeated
09:22 For us to be 8-0 for the first time in program history. There's something very special brewing here
09:28 Anything else for coach
09:31 All right, go enjoy it. Thank you. Thanks you guys appreciate the support
09:36 Thank you.