TCU took a chance on a shooter. He's become the Bane of perimeter defenses
TCU shooting guard Desmond Bane in many ways is the grease that helps the Horned Frogs' engine running smooth.
When he's hitting from outside — and he has for most of the season — it keeps opposing defenses honest and helps open up the Frogs' offense in often in startling ways.
Bane, along with Kouat Noi and, at times, Vladimir Brodziansky and Kenrich Williams, can hit 3s with the ease of a layup. Against a zone-reliant team such as Syracuse, which TCU opens the NCAA Tournament against at 8:40 p.m. Friday in Detroit, those 3s could be too much to overcome.
Bane leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (47.2) and would be among the nation's top five if he shot more (58 of 123 attempts). Not bad for an under-recruited shooter from Indiana.
"He definitely spreads the floor," Williams said. "I can tell you he's gotten better from last year to this year, transitioning. I think he just feels more comfortable out there. And he's able to shoot it out there with confidence and just play his game."
Bane averaged 7.1 points a game as a freshman a year ago. In a limited role, he made 30 of 79 3-point attempts. He's averaging 12.8 points a game as a sophomore and has three games with 20 points or more, including two in the past five games.
"It’s hours in the gym and in the off-season," Bane said.
More importantly, Bane added, his teammates have his back and when Noi also has a hot hand, it makes it tough to guard them both.
"They bring a lot of attention, which frees up open looks for me which makes it a lot easier to knock down the open shot," he said. "We can’t thank our teammates enough for the looks they’ve given us this year."
The Frogs, however, haven't been as accurate in their past three games. They're 17 of 60 from the arc, including Noi's 2 of 15.
"Teams are figuring it out that we can shoot the 3 ball so they’re going to try to run us off the line harder," said Bane, who is 4 of 13 on 3s in the stretch. "But we’ve been getting open looks, the same kind of shots. I have confidence in us. We’re going to knock them down going forward."
Bane had no Division I scholarship offers going into his senior season at Seton Catholic High School in Richmond, Indiana, despite averaging more than 24 points a game, including a 62-point game.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon said Bane's offense isn't the only part of his game that has improved. Dixon said he respects Bane after being similarly overlooked as a recruit coming out of high school in the 80s.
"I'd like to say here we thought he'd be just the guy he is," Dixon. "He just keeps getting better. He's becoming a better defender. He's becoming a better guy off the dribble, and he's rebounding better. He's improved in every aspect. And he continues to do so.
"Proud to see a guy that's done so much, and I kind of respect. TCU took a chance on me, I guess. We took a chance on him, and he's made us look good."
This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 7:11 PM with the headline "TCU took a chance on a shooter. He's become the Bane of perimeter defenses."