Ella Hamlin, a freshman at Texas Christian University, was in a sociology class on the first day of the semester when she asked a friend about going to that night’s women’s basketball game against Kansas State. Hamlin’s friend informed her that the contest had been canceled. “At first, I didn’t understand why,” Hamlin says. Then she checked Instagram. She quickly learned about the team’s upheaval.
Beginning in early January, an avalanche of injuries pummeled the Horned Frogs: a fractured finger, torn ligaments, a broken ankle. Within a few weeks of the calendar flipping to 2024, TCU was down to only six available players. It was forced to forfeit its contests against Kansas State and Iowa State, scheduled three days later. Coach Mark Campbell didn’t have time to slowly process the disruption. “The only option was to host an open tryout with the TCU student body,” Campbell says.
Shortly after hearing about the Horned Frogs’ forfeits, Hamlin saw a TCU social media post announcing tryouts. There were only four simple requirements: sign up via email two hours before the tryout, have proof of a physical exam from the TCU health center, be a full-time university student, and have high school basketball experience. She knew she could satisfy all of them. At…
