After starting their season with 14 straight victories, the Texas Christian University women's basketball team is now forfeiting games and seeking regular students at the school to suit up for their upcoming contests.
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TCU basketball's request for full-time students to try out went viral on social media Wednesday. The team is now in desperation mode to fill its roster after having to forfeit Wednesday's scheduled game against No. 7 Kansas State, as well as this Saturday's game against No. 24 Iowa State, due to not having enough eligible players available.
TCU women’s basketball will hold open tryouts on Thursday and Friday for full-time students interested in walking-on for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Please see the information below or contact Jessie Craig ([email protected]) for additional details. #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/pQV2SvYnBm
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) January 17, 2024
According to a recent Instagram post, the reason why TCU had to cancel these games was to "ensure the health and safety of the program's student-athletes." TCU's roster is becoming so barren of available players due to an absurd string of injuries the team has dealt with so far this season. The most recent of those occurred Saturday, when guard Jaden Owens tore the ACL and meniscus in her right knee during the team's 77-66 loss to Houston.
TCU only had 10 players available for that game, after center Sedona Prince — who won two Big 12 player of the week awards earlier in the season — announced this month that she'll be out indefinitely with a hand injury. Soon after Prince went down, forward DaiJa Turner — who took Prince's spot in the starting lineup — made a statement that an ankle injury she was trying to play through will require season-ending surgery.
Strong arms DaiJa, we love you 🙏#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/ylrr06IIg5
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) January 17, 2024
This recent slew of injuries marks a sudden fall from grace for TCU. Just a few months ago, the team started the season 14-0 and attained its first top 25 ranking since February 2020. Now they're having to recruit ordinary TCU students just so they can actually play upcoming games.
While the Horned Frogs were in the midst of their winning streak, social media darling Haley Cavinder announced that she'd be coming out of retirement to join their team. Unfortunately for TCU, Cavinder isn't eligible to play until the 2024-25 season and, therefore, can only watch helplessly as her future team is forced to forfeit games.
Despite this dire situation, TCU's open tryouts are good news for any of the school's current female students who'd been dreaming of lacing up their old sneakers once again. Perhaps one of them will even end up being a difference-maker for TCU on the floor this season.
Even if not, at least they'll have a good story to tell.
