BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When Ella Hamlin arrived as a student at TCU, she had no idea she would join the basketball team. But she answered an open-tryout call from a desperate team, and now she is at the Sweet 16 as a beloved character in one of the best success stories in the sport.
“She comes in every day with a smile,” TCU star center Sedona Prince said. “She’s so sweet. She’s willing to give a certain selflessness to the team.”
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Midway through the 2023-24 season, TCU was so wracked by injuries after starting a school-best 14-0 that the Horned Frogs had to forfeit two games. As a result, they posted open tryouts for anyone who had high school basketball experience and was a student at the school.
“When I saw it, I knew I wanted to give it a try because it was such a cool opportunity,” Hamlin said.
A 1,500-point scorer in her high school days, she said she initially tried out for the team on a whim. Friends and family knew she had the skills for it, she said, but her expectations were low. She grew up about 30 minutes away from Fort Worth in Granbury, Texas, where she played for Granbury High School, averaging 18 points per game as a senior.
After the first day of tryouts, TCU coaches called Hamlin back into a conference room under the auspices of another tryout day. They surprised her by offering a walk-on spot then and there.
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She immediately called her mom to give her parents the news.
“They were just thrilled for me, and I was thrilled to be a part of the team,” Hamlin said.
Prince took her under her wing, even walking into the team room with Hamlin the first time she greeted her new teammates.
Hamlin established herself as a crucial part of the Horned Frogs’ chemistry early on, and she helped the team come together with her presence. With the contributions of Hamlin and her fellow “Underfrogs” who joined the team through the open tryout, the TCU squad salvaged its season, finishing 21-12 and advancing to the second round of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.
Throughout the season, Prince noted, Hamlin would drive the 40 minutes from Granbury twice a day to practice and eat with the team.
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“For her to do that,” Prince said, “it inspired us to work harder and to want it more.”
TCU’s chemistry was a major reason Hamlin, the only remaining Underfrog, wanted to come back for her second season as a walk-on.
“She said that a big reason why she came back is how close we are as friends,” Prince said. “(Especially) the connections that she had and how we built that last year and how we took her in under our arms.”
Hamlin earned a full scholarship spot after TCU’s Jan. 14 win against UCF, the opponent the Underfrogs played in their first game on the squad a year before. Much like her arrival to the team, it was a surprise when head coach Mark Campbell announced it.
“I just started crying because it was such a dream come true,” Hamlin said. “And it’s just such a blessing to be on this team with these girls and these coaches. It was a surreal moment.”
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Said graduate guard Maddie Scherr: “There was not a dry eye in the room when we found out that we were going to get to tell her that. And I think that’s just a testament to who she is as a person.”
Althought she does not make much impact on the stat sheet, averaging 2.4 minutes per game in 11 games played this season, Hamlin considers “encouraging” as one of her best skills.
“In our eyes, Ella can do no wrong,” Scherr said. “I feel like that’s how it feels when she’s on the court and off the court.”
Hamlin calls it “an amazing journey.”
“Amazing” also is a way to describe TCU’s run to the first Sweet 16 in program history. The Horned Frogs won their first conference title and their first two NCAA Tournament games buoyed by a “special group of girls,” according to Hamlin.
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Including their last remaining Underfrog.
Cooper Burke is a student in the University of Georgia’s Sports Media Certificate program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meet TCU basketball player who went from open tryouts to Sweet 16
