FORT WORTH, Texas — The TCU women's basketball team's next two games – Jan. 17 against Kansas State and Jan. 20 at Iowa State – have been canceled as the team does not have enough available players, the Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday.
As a result, TCU will forfeit both games.
Big 12 officials said, per conference rules, the member institution unable to field a team will forfeit the contest if no extraordinary circumstances exist. Thus, TCU is handed two conference losses, while Iowa State and Kansas State will each gain a win in the league standings.
TCU posted a statement online saying "the cancellations are a result of injuries within the TCU program and ensure the health and safety of the program's student-athletes." It is unclear the exact number of players that are injured, though the announcement comes one day after guard Jaden Owens announced she was out for the season with a torn ACL and meniscus after a non-contact injury in practice.
Then 24 hours later forward DaiJa Turner announced she suffered from a left ankle injury putting her on the bench for the rest of the season. She said her family and staff advised that surgery is the best path forward to come back stronger next season.
"I would give anything to finish this year on the court with my girls. TCU Women's Basketball is building something special, and being a part of a trailblazing season is one of the greatest moments of my playing career," Turner said in a post on X.
Sedona Prince also posted on social media last week that she broke her finger, and according to ESPN, she is listed as out indefinitely, but is "expected yo return to the court before the end of the regular season."
Ten players played in TCU's most recent game against Houston.
This announcement also comes after the Horned Frogs started out hot in non-conference play, shooting to a 13-0 record and breaking into the AP Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 24, 2020. TCU added another win against BYU in the conference opener to improve to 14-0, but since then have lost four straight against No. 6 Baylor, Oklahoma State, No. 10 Texas and Houston.
With the two forfeited games against No. 7 Kansas State and No. 24 Iowa State, TCU's record drops to 1-6 in conference, but remains 14-4 overall. The forfeited games do not affect TCU's overall record, per NCAA policy.
TCU officials said in their statement that fans who purchased tickets to Wednesday's game against Kansas State may exchange them for tickets to any remaining home game based on availability, and no refunds will be issued.
TCU women's basketball posted to X on Wednesday that the team would be holding open tryouts for full-time students to join the team for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Tryouts will be held Thursday and Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WFAA was given the following statement Thursday from TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jeremiah Donati regarding the ongoing developments within the program:
“Due to the limited number of available student-athletes we currently have due to injuries, and in consultation with our medical team, it is simply not a safe environment for the student-athletes to compete right now. The health and safety and best interests of our student-athletes will always be our top priority.
“As disappointed as we all are in having to make the decision to cancel this week’s games, I am so impressed by the team’s attitude and show of support for one another. I am proud of the way our coaches, staff and student-athletes have handled this adversity. The strong team unity and culture we have under Head Coach Mark Campbell and his staff’s leadership is playing a major role in helping us get through this difficult and unusual time.”
On Thursday, Prince broke down the injuries the team has suffered:
- Herself
- Owens
- Turner
- Another unnamed player who is "out indefinitely"
- Another unnamed player dealing with a foot injury/foot issues
- Another unnamed player who fractured her foot
- Another unnamed player dealing with "general pain"
- Another unnamed player who left for family issues
As Prince noted in her video, that left the team with only six available players on the roster.
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