After a successful run at Pitt, Jamie Dixon returns to his alma mater in hopes of reviving a TCU basketball program that has won just eight conference games since joining the Big 12 four years ago.
TCU HORNED FROGS
Last Season: 10th, 2-16 in Big 12, 12-21 overall
Predicted Big 12 Finish: 10th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Karviar Shepard (Sr)/JD Miller (So)
PF: Vladimir Brodziansky (So)/Chris Washburn (Sr)/Kouat Noi (Fr)
SF: Brandon Parrish (Sr)/Kenrich Williams (Jr)
G: Malique Trent (Jr)/Dalton Dry (Jr)/Josh Parrish (Fr)/Desmond Bane (Fr)
PG: Jaylen Fisher (Fr)/Michael Williams (Sr)/Alex Robinson (So, eligible second semester)
Gone: SG-Chauncey Collins, PF-Devonta Abron, SG-Lyrik Shreiner (transfer-CS-Northridge)
Strengths:
The TCU roster is pretty much intact from last season as the team returns seven of their nine rotation players including four starters. The Horned Frogs also add some impact newcomers in top 100 point guard Jaylen Fisher, Texas A&M transfer, Alex Robinson, and JUCO small forward Kenrich Williams who missed all of last season due to a knee injury. Dixon must maximize the depth on his roster for TCU to get out of the Big 12’s basement.
Question Marks:
Leading scorer Chauncey Collins decided to leave school and pursue a professional career this off-season. He was as much of a go-to scorer as TCU had last year and without him, that will be an area of concern; who does Dixon go to when the team needs a basket?
Player to Watch:
Due to his size and versatility at 6-11, Vladimir Brodziansky is the most likely to emerge as the team’s leading scorer. He moved into the starting lineup last season after transferring in from a junior college. The Slovakian can stretch defenses with his outside shooting and handles the ball well for his size.
X-Factor:
For a team needing a boost of talent, being able to land Fisher in the off-season after he de-committed to UNLV was a big get for the backcourt. Robinson doesn’t become eligible until the second semester but both of guys should become significant contributors.
Looking Ahead to 2017-18:
Dixon has secured two commitments for the 2017 class but he and his staff really need to hit the recruiting trail hard to upgrade their talent if they have any hopes of making this program competitive on the hardwood.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/25 vs. UNLV (Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas)
11/26 vs. Washington/Western Kentucky (Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas)
11/30 vs. Washington
12/7 at SMU
1/28 vs. Auburn (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.