No. 18 Oregon Ducks at No. 15 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball

Arizona Wildcats guard Madison Conner, left, is nominated to beat the drum by teammates Cate Reese, middle, and Esmery Martinez after Arizona defeated Oregon at McKale Center on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.

When now-former Arizona sophomore guard Madison Conner announced late last month her intent to transfer from the UA women’s basketball program, she did so via an Instagram post that said “Thank you Tucson!!! Here’s to new beginnings.”

It appears those new beginnings will be taking place in Fort Worth, Texas, with Conner’s likely transfer destination being TCU.

Conner’s connection to TCU was announced in Instagram as well. While, technically, she didn’t flat-out say in her Monday Instagram post that she was becoming a Horned Frog for the 2022-23 season, the message “T C U” with a pin emoji, followed by a string pictures of the 5-11Chandler native and her family donning TCU gear in what appears to be the program’s basketball facilities, would make it seem a done deal.

And Conner’s new beginnings will be coming alongside some familiar faces, too. Former Oregon forward Sedona Prince has also announced her plans to head to TCU, where former UA guard Tara Manumaleuga played the last two seasons, too. Manumaleuga was a senior this past year — as was Prince, who missed the 2022-23 season due to injury — but both appear to have eligibility remaining.

After going 8-23 in 2022-23, TCU recently hired longtime former Oregon assistant Mark Campbell as the Horned Frogs’ next head coach.

Conner was the first of four Wildcats — along with Lauren Ware, Paris Clark and Lemyah Hylton — to announce in the week after Arizona’s season ended they would be entering the transfer portal.

The sharpshooter was an early enrollee at Arizona in January 2021. The 5-11 wing was part of the magical ride to the NCAA national championship game that spring.

This season she was asked to slide over and play the forward position after Ware had season-ending knee surgery.

Arizona Wildcats forward Cate Reese (25) and Arizona Wildcats guard Madison Conner (4) walk back to their bench in the second half during a game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. on January 8, 2023. Arizona won 79-71.

Conner averaged 5.8 points and shot 37% from the 3-point line and 36% overall.

The Chandler native has three more years of eligibility left thanks to her extra COVID-19 year. The extra few months she was on the roster in 2021 do not count against her eligibility.

The highlight of Conner’s career as a Wildcat likely came in January against Oregon when she scored 16 points in 16 minutes, going 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the line with two rebounds and two assists in a 79-71 win for then-No. 15 Arizona at McKale Center over the then-No. 18 Ducks.


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Contact Brett Fera at bfera@tucson.com. On Twitter: @brettfera