TCU head coach Mark Campbell talks about the 66-60 win over UCF, the community culture within TCU athletics, the open tryouts the team held to fill out the roster, and preparing for Big 12 play with a new roster.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 All right, thanks everyone. We have TC head coach Mark Campbell following tonight's victory over UCF.
00:05 We're going to start with an opening statement from coach and then we will open the room for
00:10 some questions. Well first of all I am just beyond proud of this group of kids.
00:18 The injury bug has hit our team hard and this group tonight showed their resilience,
00:29 showed their character. We're down a lot of pieces and this group fought for 40 minutes.
00:36 I think it's as good a 40-minute fight as we've had all season. Got a really balanced attack
00:45 but we just found a way. It wasn't pretty but we found a way and that's the DNA of our team
00:55 and I'm just really really happy with everything that's going on that the kids they've showed up
01:01 every day and worked really really hard and they kept chipping away at this thing
01:05 and so I'm glad that they got rewarded. I'm glad our staff got rewarded.
01:09 How special was this win for you? It's hard to put into words to be honest. In my career I've
01:16 never had an injury situation like this over a rough two-week stretch and in some ways you look
01:26 back on your career of the blessing of how fragile being healthy is and I've got to be a part of some
01:32 really good teams and those teams stayed healthy and it just shows how quickly a season can turn
01:43 but these youngsters man that's why you never underestimate young people. We have a roster
01:49 full of kids that love the game of basketball that work incredibly hard and when it was their
01:54 time and their number got called they stepped up. You guys got off to a really quick start in this
01:59 game. Do you think with what's going on the last couple weeks just being able to be back on the
02:04 court they just kind of had a little bit of extra energy coming in? I mean gosh dang that's got to
02:08 be one of us one of our highest scoring quarters of the season and the truth is we put in a new
02:14 offense. We scrapped kind of our pick and roll. We went to a five-out motion. I've never coached
02:20 five-out motion and so we've had a whole bunch of late nights as a staff studying trying to figure
02:26 out what we can instill in a couple day window that complements the group that's playing in
02:33 their skill set and their talents and their gifts and to hang 27 that was the first time we went live
02:39 against someone else running the five-out motion and so to hang 27 in that quarter was special
02:47 and it set the tone and it carried us to the win. Can you talk about the character of this team to
02:53 not hang their heads despite all the adversity they faced and go out there and put a performance
02:58 like that out? Yeah there's incredible leadership and I've said that from the get-go. I mean we're
03:02 a brand new staff. You're a brand new team with 14 new kids and I've said it from the get-go there's
03:08 amazing leadership on this team. Some of those kids are injured right now and they're out.
03:13 They've still shown they've been at every practice. They've been at every workout. You saw Jake no
03:19 one's coaching up. Vic during the game and Agnes is the backbone and I've said this all season long
03:27 Agnes is the backbone of our team. Her leadership, her toughness and she's been in a whole bunch of
03:34 big games. It's just the most selfless elite competitor and she was out there. She was the
03:41 heart and soul of us tonight. Coach there were no walk-ons on the roster at the beginning of the
03:46 year as the injuries started to chip away. When did you start having the conversation that there
03:51 might need to be some additional body type for the roster? Yeah I mean this this thing unfolded
03:56 rapidly. It wasn't like a slow progression of this but we have never any team I've been on has not
04:03 had walk-ons and it's just something that again you look back and you just understand how fortunate
04:10 you are sometimes with the health. I mean I should I want to take this back to 2010.
04:19 We took over at Oregon State and we had open tryouts in August because we had one scholarship
04:25 player. So there was one other time we had to field the team via tryouts but it went the numbers
04:34 shrunk really quick to where that was the only option. There was no other option is we got to
04:39 hold open tryouts and see what the turnout is and you guys the turnout was incredible.
04:46 The spirit of the student body, these girls that came to tryouts. We had two different days,
04:52 six o'clock in the evening. These young ladies that showed up poured their hearts and souls
04:58 into that tryout and it's not like they're in in basketball shape. It's not like they're
05:02 been practicing. You know they just came from class and put on their sneakers. I mean there
05:08 was one young lady I remember she said she got her hoop shoes overnight delivered and so it was
05:15 really neat. It was refreshing to see how lucky we are at the college level to do what we do.
05:21 You got to witness you know 50 young people. This is like a dream come true to have an opportunity
05:28 to be a part of a college basketball team in the spirit that they played with and then these four
05:34 young ladies that we ended up selecting. They literally said coach whatever we need to do to
05:41 help the team let us know. But there's a there's an onboarding process. It's not as simple you can
05:47 just go get some walk-ons. Like there's many layers to it and you can't speed the process up
05:54 but there's an onboarding process that compliance and eligibility, NCA stuff that you got to work
06:01 through. There's a big onboarding process with the medical side of stuff and all the testing
06:08 and the clearance that has to be done before anybody. Now normally your athletes do it in
06:12 the summertime and so there's a period there and then the academic piece they didn't build their
06:19 class schedules around our practice when they said it and so when you first added them there wasn't a
06:24 kid that could even come to practice their class and so there's just this massive checklist to
06:31 even get them to where they can show up to practice with you. And so it's been a village.
06:37 It's been neat to see what TCU stands for how the student body and the community has rallied around
06:44 this group. In some ways we're like America's team right now. Just been decimated by the injury bug.
06:52 You have open tryouts mid-year. We haven't played five on five and you show up and you get a big
06:58 12 win. It's an amazing story and our staff has been incredible and the young ladies they have
07:07 showed up every day just handled their business and just kept chipping away and so it's been a
07:15 special hard two weeks. We haven't talked to you since the tryouts. I heard at Oregon State you
07:21 had a couple of interesting candidates come out including maybe a mother or something.
07:24 Anything interesting that showed up that you know were they all pretty legit candidates that showed
07:29 up? So two different stories at Oregon State this is in August. So you truly held an open tryout
07:35 front page of Oregonian. So people flew in from all over the country for the tryout. Here because
07:41 it's mid-year your only chance to even get someone to get through the checklist they have to be a
07:48 current student and enrolled. So that shrinks the population that you get a pull from.
07:52 You know what's it mean to you? I know Sylvester got in the game for there at the end of the third
07:58 just for a couple minutes. Do you anticipate them getting an opportunity to contribute and play here
08:03 in the next couple games? Oh it's all hands on deck with with our season. They're ready I mean
08:09 we literally did a walk through with them because they don't know a block. They don't know an out
08:15 of bounds. They don't know a sideline out of bounds. They don't know we're covering just a
08:19 hedge on a pick and roll like you are at ground zero with these kids and so they had an hour
08:24 shoot around this morning before our hour shoot around. They're trying to just learn our shooting
08:30 drills so we can do stuff. So there's a problem but they're suiting up because we need numbers
08:35 and obviously we've been hit by the injury bug. Hopefully no more happen but they're this far
08:42 away from full tilt get in there and let's rock and roll. How cool was it that TCU had a couple
08:49 state champions and another 1500 point score just kind of walking around? I mean that's incredible
08:56 but the reality is and that's how we're one of the smaller power five schools in the country. I
09:00 think we're us and Wake Forest are two of the smallest student bodies at the power five level.
09:05 I mean imagine some of the big schools probably got some serious talent just walking around
09:09 but it was really neat to see these kids that that they have a high IQ. They have a great
09:15 competitive spirit. We got to get them in shape. Hopefully we can get their class schedule so they
09:20 can practice with us but there's kids that played and they love the game of basketball and they're
09:26 all in to help and so we're excited to work with them. Mark you address the leadership part of it.
09:31 Sorry you address the leadership part of the player that you got. When you look at the end
09:35 of that bench and see that group of talent that you have sitting at the end of the bench
09:38 you have to catch yourself sometimes going wow what have you missed or do you try not to focus
09:43 on that? Yeah it's I mean I got to coach that group for 14 games and that group is one of the
09:49 best teams in college basketball and they prove that and but reality is you can't live in the past.
09:57 We got we got games and we got to prepare for we got kids and we got to coach right here right now.
10:03 Our job is to make the best of the hands you get dealt and gosh dang it that's life and you're
10:10 going to have adversity and curveballs that you didn't see coming in life and so this is great
10:14 for young people to see you still show up you roll your sleeves up and you get to work and you
10:19 can't put your head down and and that's something our staff and team has done a phenomenal job of
10:25 and we're going to slowly get kids back and our job is to keep getting this group better
10:30 so that as we keep adding pieces we're a better basketball club as we get healthy.
10:37 You also added Sarah Sylvester from volleyball what were those conversations like with Coach
10:41 Williams since that transition happened? Coach Williams has been an unbelievable
10:47 advocate of TCU athletics I think that's a snapshot into what the family environment that's
10:56 at TCU athletics well at this level it's a cutthroat business that you got to win and for
11:02 him to be fully supportive he even came to the tryouts and he gave Sarah two thumbs up to go and
11:09 and Sarah literally just said how can I help that was the first thing when I met her I say I just
11:14 how can I help you guys and so the TCU is a special place and you're getting to see it as adversity
11:22 hit everybody's rallied and so what coach has done is really really cool and me and him got to sit
11:31 down and just talk shop and he was so supportive and obviously he had a situation I couldn't mess
11:37 this up two years ago where they had a game against Texas I think that their team got rocked
11:42 and so he understands what we're going through and he's just been awesome I'm very thankful for him.
12:01 We've had enough adversity we went from none to we've got our fair share
12:05 but that's um as you build a culture adversity is always going to hit and you don't know when
12:15 and we had a great run going where things were just we were smooth sailing but adversity is
12:23 always going to hit athletically ended life and so you try to prepare these young people
12:29 to manage it and to handle it right and this group has done that and it's evident with
12:34 the three leading scorers out and to come do what this group did and they did it together and they
12:41 fought and they clawed and they found a way and so it shows we got a special locker room you guys
12:46 and we've known that we've known that. Coach does this kind of invigorate you as a coach you know
12:52 accepting and bringing this challenge on? Yeah it does you pour your heart and soul into this thing
12:59 and the kids pour their heart and soul into this thing and you don't always get rewarded in life
13:04 for your hard work and so when you do man it's refreshing I mean this has been a really challenging
13:10 time building a program without all this adversity is hard taking over where this program was
13:17 and to kind of take off like a rocket ship and go where we went that quickly and then
13:24 to have and then and then you had adversity hit you're back down and you're kind of rock bottom
13:29 trying to figure this thing out and and it does invigorate you to see the spirit of these kids
13:35 the crowd was incredible this community came out supported this team and this and to get a win man
13:42 it's it's incredible. Going back to the last few minutes of the game tonight you had three players
13:47 in the game with four fouls each and they didn't give up a basket I think in the last four minutes
13:52 of the contest just talk about the determination to finish strong when you're already short.
13:56 I mean no doubt we Aaliyah Robertson has never played the middle of our zone
14:00 period until the fourth quarter today I mean talk about just winging it I called to our zone and
14:07 Aaliyah looked over like this and and so but it's the spirit they they found a way to get stops when
14:15 the game mattered they found a way to slow down Kaitlyn who's one heck of a basketball player
14:22 and and teams have in our league have really struggled to slow her down but when it mattered
14:28 what four minutes to go to the end of game we found ways to get stops we found ways to get buckets
14:34 and so that's gosh dang we got a special group of kids. You mentioned Aaliyah Robertson and you know
14:42 last couple games that she's been in it feels like she's kind of just getting better and better and
14:46 better talk about what what she did tonight. Aaliyah is and we've talked about this just
14:51 scratching the surface of who she's going to become as a basketball player she's still figuring
14:57 out her true talents and gifts and she has this massive ceiling and she's just learning and growing
15:03 into that thing and Aaliyah is a winner she comes from an incredible basketball family
15:11 brothers and sisters have played at the highest level and and so she's a competitor she's a winner
15:17 she just makes basketball plays that impact winning and she's done that all season for us
15:22 but now she has a much bigger role and today she was awesome. Talk about Vic and how much she's
15:29 grown up and have been rusted into a position like this especially coming off an ACL. I mean Vic
15:35 is coming off two ACLs I mean she's a kid that had two ACLs in high school playing behind Jade
15:41 Nolens who's one of the best point guards in college basketball she said she's had a small
15:45 role because of Jaden and Jaden is is elite but Jaden you guys don't get to see this part of
15:53 Jade Nolens behind the scenes from day one she has poured into Victoria and and invested in her
16:00 and it paid off tonight and you saw Jade Nolens grabbing her during the huddles and talking to
16:06 her and so Vic is a true freshman to come out and play 34 minutes in a big 12 game and and lead us
16:14 and she had some turnovers but that kid believes in herself at a high level and she kept coming
16:19 back and she never put her head down and she found a way that kid got a huge steal in a transition
16:25 layup in the fourth quarter down the home stretch that really gave us some breathing room.
16:30 I mean you talk about Sydney Harris you know coming back working back from an ankle
16:35 you know she really kept you on the game there in the third quarter not to allow
16:40 UCF to extend their lead. Sydney Harris is an absolute bucket getter I mean she finds a way
16:48 to put the ball in the hole at a high level and she's working her way back she was injured for
16:55 eight weeks I don't even know how much time she missed and so she's working out the kinks and she
16:59 hasn't had a big role and she gave us 21 minutes and 25 seconds of important basketball and they
17:04 went zone and Sid got loose that kid can really really shoot it and she believes in herself and
17:11 her shooting ability and so she kind of busted that zone single-handedly. You talk a little bit
17:17 more about Agnes you said you know she's the backbone of the team a rough shooting stretch
17:22 there until the very end of the game whenever you need it or most make key free throws and
17:27 a key layup there at the end just talk a little bit more about her. I mean Agnes you guys she
17:31 hasn't shot by numbers that well from the free throw line but there was a technical I didn't
17:36 even hesitate there's one kid I wanted that free throw line that if we're going to win or lose I'm
17:42 rolling with that kid she stuck those two and then the fourth quarter felt like a football game where
17:47 they were doing the delay game ice ice the butter it felt like they were icing her at the free throw
17:52 line and Agnes stepped up and buried those two but you guys she lives in the gym she's the last
17:59 one to leave the gym but I'm going to win and lose with that kid. Final questions for coach.
18:05 This one's behind you now you go to Texas Tech this weekend and then obviously the rest of the
18:09 Big 12 slate ahead of you how do you carry this momentum and this energy forward knowing that
18:14 this is going to be your situation for at least the next week or so? Oh yeah it's our situation
18:18 for a while you prepare just like these young people have prepared you do you show up tomorrow
18:24 and you do your job and and you handle tomorrow and you do it with a great focus and a great energy
18:31 and we'll do film and you just walk through you just don't skip steps and they haven't skipped
18:37 steps this whole year and even during adversity this group showed up and locked in the staff
18:42 showed up and locked in and so as we prepare for Texas Tech it will be no different as our
18:48 preparation here and obviously winning on the road's hard it's hard in the Big 12 it's hard in
18:54 any league and so your margin for error shrinks when you're on the road but this was a great
18:59 game for us for these young people to show to get some belief in themselves that they can do it that
19:06 we can do it and so excited for the next game I'm going to enjoy this one you guys and tomorrow I'm
19:12 turning the page. All right thanks everyone players are ready. You guys thanks for coming out.