Each of these players received a preferred walk-on invitation from head coach Mark Campbell following the tryouts held last Thursday and Friday.
Sarah Sylvester
Sylvester is a six foot three middle blocker who has played a key role on the TCU Volleyball team and will now look to make another impact on the women’s basketball program. She is the first TCU student-athlete in the Big 12 to play varsity basketball and volleyball.
Her basketball background goes back to her time at Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where Sylvester earned four varsity letters in basketball and averaged 11.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in her senior year.
In both her junior and senior years, she earned All-Catholic High School League honors.
As for her time on the volleyball court over the last three semesters, she helped lead the Frogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023. It will be interesting to see is how she uses her blocking abilities in a basketball setting.
Sylvester set the school record for the most blocks in a three-set match with 13. During 2023, she led TCU and ranked sixth in the Big 12 in blocks per set, accumulating 138 blocks in her sophomore year and starting all 32 season matchups.
Head Coach Jason Williams put out a statement early Monday afternoon stating his excitement that Sylvester will be able to help the Frogs during a much needed time.
“I’m excited for Sarah [Sylvester] to be able to join the basketball program. I’m an “all in” coach, so when basketball needs help, I want to be there to do whatever we can for them. Sarah has basketball experience and she wanted to try out. I thought it was a great idea due to the unbelievable circumstances they were in. We had the same issue here my first season, so I can sympathize. I’m here to support all the programs here at TCU. I would suit up myself if I had any eligibility left.”
Piper Davis
Davis is a freshman guard from Boise, Idaho, who previously attended Timberline High School. She played a pivotal role in leading Timberline to the Idaho High School Activities Association 5A Girls Basketball State Championship in 2022, starting every game at guard during the championship run with the Wolves.
Davis earned a spot in the 2023 Idaho State All-Star Game and was selected for the IdahoSport.com All-Tournament second team. Additionally, she received an honorable mention for her outstanding senior-year accomplishments in the All-Conference.
During the first round of the 2023 IHSAA 5A Girls Basketball State Championship, Davis achieved a career-high of 22 points. Her father, Jerrod Davis, also played collegiate basketball at Gonzaga from 1989 to 1992.
Ella Hamlin
Hamlin is a freshman guard from north Texas who previously played basketball at Granbury High School where she scored over 1,500 career points during her four-year varsity run.
She earned the District Offensive Player of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023. Hamlin averaged 18 points per game and achieved a career-high of 42 points in her senior year against Lovelady High School.
Mekhayia Moore
Moore, a 5-7 sophomore guard from Brownsboro, Texas and attended Brownsboro High School. She led the Bearettes to their first-ever TX UIL Girls’ Basketball State Championship in her senior year in 2022. Moore earned the title of State Championship MVP and was selected to the State Championships All-Tournament team after the Bearettes’ title run. She scored more than 1,000 career points over her four-year varsity run.
After forfeiting two games last week, the TCU Horned Frogs (14-4, 1-6 Big 12) will resume play tonight as they host UCF at 6:30 p.m. CST in the Schollmaier Arena.
