The sign hung over her bed as a reminder — as motivation. It didn’t contain a clever saying or a coaching proverb, and it wasn’t an autographed photo of a favorite player. The sign simply posted the number six. It was put there by her father so his daughter could stare up and think about it each night before drifting off to sleep.
Camryn Tade, then a sixth-grader, was given a challenge.
“Her goal was just to score six points,” says Gavin Tade, an Air Force colonel and commercial pilot, who wasn’t opposed to his daughter aiming high — he just wanted her to take a first step towards consistency. “She could definitely shoot and she was always a good basketball player, but she was just too shy.
“When she was little, she’d go out there and score [double-digit] points, but then sometimes she’d score zero — she just wouldn’t shoot the ball. So I told her to just try and score six points on an every-game basis.”
Consistency Is Key
If consistency was the lesson being taught through the sign, Camryn got the message loud and clear. The Lady Dragon soon proved to be a steady and reliable scorer, showing she had more in the tank than six points each night.
In middle school, where it’s normally about giving all kids playing time more than riding the hot hand, Camryn often found her way on the court for extended minutes when an important game was on the line.
Heading into high school, Camryn was impressive enough at tryouts to earn a spot on the varsity roster as a freshman. Scoring six — and then some — was not a problem for the rising star, even as she was competing against older and more experienced opponents.
Those six points eventually became 2,000 when the senior captain broke the career scoring mark — fittingly a 3-point shot. That same day, she committed to playing for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“I think it’s very rare to be in the position where you could have 2,000 points, where your role would be such for four years that you could produce that kind of offense,” says Robyn McCoart, fifth-year head coach for the Lady Dragons basketball team. “With Camryn, a lot of it is that she’s just gritty. She’ll keep coming down the court and scoring on you. Before you know it, she has 20 and you don’t even know what happened.”
Camryn’s hot start as a freshman allowed her confidence to grow, as well as her offensive production. Averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds that year, her numbers rose as a sophomore (16.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and junior (21.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg). With a handful of games remaining in this year’s regular season, Camryn again led Carroll in scoring (21.5), ranking her among the Top 10 Class 6A scorers in North Texas — all while adding 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
The senior’s performance helped spark a Lady Dragons team that posted a 25-3 record with three district games left while looking poised to capture the district title and make some noise in the postseason.
“I love competing — I’m just a competitive person,” says the star. “Honestly, the most fun for me is rebounding and fighting for loose balls. Shooting is nice, but I love the competitive aspect.
“With Coach (McCoart), her (motto) is ‘Uncommon Attitude and Effort.’ That’s what we embody. Whether we’re up or down, we’re going to fight and we’re going to compete.”
Facing Challenges And Finding Her Role
Although Camryn makes it look easy at this stage in her game, basketball was not an automatic success for the senior guard. After playing soccer and competing in gymnastics as a kid, the family searched for other athletic outlets for their daughter when the family moved to Southlake when she was in fifth grade.
Unfamiliar with the local sports scene, Camryn joined a club team and learned the ropes of the game while playing against more experienced club athletes. It was a tough lesson for Camryn as she struggled against strong competition.
“She got her butt kicked three or four years, big time,” Camryn’s mom Angie says. “She was riding the bench for a couple of years, and it was tough to watch. But she pulled through, and she was determined.
“She never wanted to quit. She liked what she was doing, so we kept her in. There were times I wanted her to quit. But yeah, she just kept with it and she got a lot better.”
Though a difficult stretch at first, playing top area athletes around her age readied her for the chance to make the jump to varsity as a freshman. Joining a Carroll team with plenty of veteran experience afforded Camryn the opportunity to play more of a support role to senior and leading scorer Jillian Sowell. She grew to take on an important role that year as the team’s sixth man.
The following year, Camryn emerged as a top scorer, but still had plenty of veteran teammates to help carry the load. Then as a junior, she and senior teammate Kylie Swanson were the two most experienced players. As such, they were named co-captains and asked to lead the charge. Camryn became the No. 1 offensive option, while Swanson was the defensive stopper for the Lady Dragons.
“Every year she’s figured out how to redefine herself,” McCoart says. “This year, we’ve added some players that are really skilled. Her role has shifted every year, but she’s always been steady. She doesn’t get rattled, and she stays the course.”
Pursuit Of Excellence
If there is ever an area of her game that needs course correcting, Camryn will often take it upon herself to make the change. Such was the case as she became more of an offensive focal point for Carroll.
“My sophomore year, I only had one basketball move. It was a shot fake, one dribble and a floater, and I just hoped I got it,” Camryn says. “My junior year, my mom was like, ‘Hey, that’s not going to work. Everybody has already seen that.’ So my junior year, I tried to shoot a few more threes, and I was getting to the basket more. I’d say that I’ve gotten better at scoring in multiple ways.”
The sure-handed guard is also dangerous from the outside (45% behind the arc), as well as anywhere on the court (55% overall FG percentage). She’s also shot well from the free throw line, hitting 74% of her attempts.
The impressive stats are the direct result of a relentless drive to be her best. Her effort during team practice, as well as evenings on the half court in her family’s backyard, continue to pay dividends. Reminders of her dedication reverberate through her dad’s eardrums almost rhythmically as he winds down in the evening.
“You could come by our house and every night, whether it’s July or January, this is the sound I hear — thump, thump, swish... thump, thump, swish... thump, thump, swish,” Gavin says. “I’ve been hearing that (rhythm) at night for like six years. She shoots until she hits some metric in her head. Maybe it’s 300 shots a night. It has to be, because I have that sound ingrained in my skull.”
That passion is evident on game night as well. but it’s also alive and kicking during weekday practices. At times, her team- mates wonder if her intensity ever turns off. But they also realize it’s a positive push for them as well.
“She’s always competitive in practice, she’ll always be going hard,” junior forward Taryn Barnes says. “Sometimes it’s frustrating, because it’s like, ‘Dang it, Camryn, give us a break!’ She’s always going 110%, but it pushes the team to do better. She’s a catalyst.”
“She’s the most hard-working person I’ve ever seen in my life,” senior guard Ria Singh says. “She inspires me, and I think her hard work kind of rubs off on the whole team.”
“I just feel like she’s such a great example to all of us of what a great leader is all about,” sophomore point guard Milania Jordan says.
A Tradition Of Service
There is little doubt Camryn will bring the same leadership to the next level as she prepares for college ball. But her athletic destination carries more weight with it than just the fact she’ll compete in college sports. Her West Point commitment represents the continuation of a family tradition of military service.
It all started with Gavin’s father, who served in the Army. Gavin followed the call and now has three decades of service in the Air Force, while his two brothers have also served in both the Air Force and Army.
“I really look up to my Dad. I think they’re all incredible,” Camryn says of her family’s service. “I think it’s an incredible sacrifice, so I’ve kind of known I wanted to join the military.”
Just which branch of service she would enter was yet to be determined until this January. Camryn also applied at both the Air Force and Naval academies, but after some visits, it became clear she’d land at West Point.
Gavin says there was never any pressure for her or any of their kids to join the military. But he began noticing a growing interest from Camryn over the last two years. Angie saw the same and felt a branch of service might be a perfect fit.
“I really thought that she was kind of made for it,” Angie says. “She’s just kind of got that personality. She’s competitive, she really holds other people to very high standards and she holds herself to those standards.”
The standards go beyond athletics. Camryn excels in the classroom as well, taking advanced classes and scoring a 1500 on the SAT. Academics actually come easier than sports for her, and she’s learned to balance her time doing both. The accomplishments in school garnered Academic All-District Honors three years in a row, with a fourth one likely. West Point’s tradition impressed Camryn, but the young athlete impressed the Black Knights’ coaching staff as well. Camryn, her family and second-year West Point women’s basketball coach Missy Traversi were equally thrilled when the incoming cadet gave her commitment during a visit in January.
“West Point’s mission is to develop leaders of character. Camryn has displayed those qualities prior to beginning her time here,” Traversi says.
Camryn’s college teammates and opponents will soon get a good taste of the fire and passion she carries onto the court. However, her journey as a Lady Dragon is not yet complete. There are still goals of a lengthy playoff run, and it’s good to know the team’s stat and emotional leader is still hyper-focused on the tasks at hand.
“Whatever my job is, whether it’s to rebound, pass, score, hustle or play defense, I want to be remembered as someone who did my job, did what I was assigned to the best of my ability,” Camryn says.
Through her effort, attitude and abilities, Camryn Tade is proof that putting in the work pays dividends. And those dividends will be felt at Carroll for many years to come.