In three years, Mark Campbell has turned TCU into one of the nation’s top women’s collegiate basketball programs.
The head coach has led the program to the NCAA Tournament twice, making Sweet 16 appearances in 2025 and 2026. Last year, the Horned Frogs made program history by reaching the Elite Eight for the first time.
As TCU looks to continue its March Madness run, here are five things to know about Campbell:
1. The basics
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Position: Head coach
Coaching record: 125-45 (86-21 at TCU)
Years at TCU: 2023-present
Previous head coaching stops: Sacramento State
2. He has a track record of landing elite talent
A big part of Campbell’s success at TCU can be attributed to his ability to attract elite talent. Before the 2025 season started, the head coach recruited guard Hailey Van Lith to TCU after her brief stint at LSU. Van Lith was pivotal to the Horned Frogs’ Elite Eight run, as she averaged 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
In 2026, Campbell maintained the program’s momentum by recruiting Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles. The experienced guard has been one of the nation’s top players this season, averaging 19.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
Before he landed at TCU, Campbell notably helped recruit top players at Oregon like Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard.
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3. He worked his way up the coaching ranks
Campbell started his head coaching career in 2021 at Sacramento State. Before that, he played a pivotal role in helping rebuild programs like Oregon State and Oregon as an assistant coach. At both Oregon State and Oregon, Campbell worked his way up into associate head coaching gigs.
When he became Sacramento State’s head coach, he needed just two seasons to take the program to the NCAA Tournament. He led Sacramento State to a 39-24 record before he took the job at TCU in 2023.
4. He has also coached men’s basketball teams
Campbell’s coaching career started in 2005, when he was a volunteer assistant for the Clackamas Community College men’s basketball team. He notably played at the junior college from 1999-2000. After spending two years at Clackamas, Campbell took an assistant role for the men’s program at Pepperdine from 2005-07.
His final stop at the men’s college basketball ranks was at Saint Mary’s from 2008-10. He became the school’s first director of basketball operations before moving to an assistant role on Randy Bennett’s staff.
5. His wife played college basketball
Campbell’s wife, Ashley, played college basketball at Vanderbilt from 1997-2000. Like Mark, Ashley was a guard.
Ashley averaged 5.4 points, 5.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals as a three-year starter at Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Mark suited up for three different schools throughout his collegiate playing career. He spent time at Cal Poly, Clackamas Community College and Hawaii.
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