Marta Suárez paints TCU women's basketball's identity on and off the court

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Marta Suárez paints TCU women's basketball's identity on and off the court

Marta Suárez paints TCU women's basketball's identity on and off the court

Erin Kirby, Special to USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Mon, Mar 30, 2026 ·

2 min read

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SACRAMENTO, CA — As the TCU women's basketball team filed into the locker room at Golden 1 Center ahead of their Sweet 16 matchup against Virginia, they each wore the same hoodie.

But on closer inspection, no two were exactly alike.

Each hoodie featured small, personalized details, subtle nods to the individual wearing it, from hobbies and interests to personality traits and everyday passions.

More than a fashion moment, it was a reflection of a team coming together on a national stage. The win over the Cavaliers that followed was co-led by the artist behind those hoodies, TCU graduate forward Marta Suárez, who scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

On the court, Suárez gives the Horned Frogs a powerful one-two punch with teammate Olivia Miles, who totaled 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against Virginia. At one point in the game, after Miles was fouled hard, Suárez hugged her and told her, "They foul you like that because they can't guard you."

"She got all pumped up," Suárez said. "That worked great."

Suárez also connects her teammates off the court.

"What I was thinking about, when I was drawing, was their personalities," Suárez said of the hoodies.

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Graduate forward Natalie Mazurek's hoodie, for example, included a little extra glamour on the frog's design, mimicking Mazurek's love for makeup.

"They probably don't even know it, but in most of my canvases this season," Suárez said, "there's a piece of them in every single one of them."

Whether her passion is captured on a canvas or a pair of her custom painted shoes, it leads to bigger moments beyond the game — shared with teammates, loved ones and even basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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