TCU pair of NIT champs are signed, sealed for Eurpoean teams

Former TCU basketball players Brandon Parrish and Karviar Shepherd, a pair of seniors who helped lead the Horned Frogs to the NIT championship in March, confirmed Tuesday they have signed contracts to play professionally in Europe.

Parrish, an Arlington Seguin graduate who is the school’s career in games played (136), signed a one-year deal to play with the Worcester Wolves in Worcester, England. The team competes in the British Basketball League.

Shepherd, who ranks second to Parrish on the Frogs’ career list of games played (131), signed a two-year deal to play for the KK Mornar Bar team in Bar, Montenegro. Shepherd said the team participates in three different European leagues and he plans to leave Aug. 12 to begin preparations for a season that starts in October.

“It should be great, going over there to see a different type of world,” said Shepherd, a 6-foot-11 center who was the highest-ranked recruit in program history when he and Parrish were the cornerstones of a recruiting class signed for the 2013-14 season. “I’ve been blessed to have an opportunity to go overseas and show my skills for the teams other there.”

The duo played their final college game in TCU’s 88-56 rout of Georgia Tech to seal an NIT title on March 30 in New York. Parrish, who will begin his European experience on Sept. 3, said he may attend graduate school at the University of Worcester while playing for the Wolves.

“That’s potentially available, so I’ll get my transcripts together and see what I can do,” said Parrish, adding that the lure of competing for a team in an English-speaking country appealed to him.

“It was a good opportunity for me to begin my professional career somewhere that I would have that much of a cultural difference,” Parrish said. “I’ll just see wherever it takes me.”

During last year’s 24-15 season, Parrish averaged 5.9 points per game and Shepherd averaged 4.4.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "TCU pair of NIT champs are signed, sealed for Eurpoean teams."