TCU basketball lands former McDonald’s High School All-American
TCU basketball added a big-time transfer on Monday afternoon.
Charles “Chuck” O’Bannon Jr., a former five-star prospect who spent his first two and a half seasons at USC, announced his intentions to come to TCU on Twitter.
O’Bannon is expected to enroll in classes next week, but will have to sit out a full season per NCAA transfer rules.
That would mean O’Bannon wouldn’t be eligible until the “spring” semester next season (which would start in December after finals have concluded). But TCU is expected to file for an immediate eligibility waiver on O’Bannon’s behalf for him to be eligible in the fall, according to a source.
Because he redshirted last season with an early-season injury to his left pinky, O’Bannon would also have remaining eligibility for the 2021-22 season.
O’Bannon played in just three games this season, the last coming on Nov. 12, averaging 0.7 points in 6.3 minutes a game. He sustained an injury to his middle finger this season.
He played in one game last season before undergoing surgery on his pinky, and played sparingly as a freshman.
But O’Bannon was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, being a McDonald’s High School All-American and earning a five-star ranking by ESPN.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder will join a TCU team next season that has to fill the loss of star guard Desmond Bane, who is in the midst of a solid senior season. Bane is on track to lead the team in scoring his final two years.
O’Bannon will have an opportunity to fill that void. This is a guy who led Bishop Gorman to four consecutive state championships.
O’Bannon is the son of Charles Sr., who was on UCLA’s 1995 national championship team and was a second-round pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. His uncle, Ed, also played at UCLA and has made headlines in recent years for his lawsuit against the NCAA.
The lawsuit has played a role in the pending changes where student athletes will be able to profit off their name, image and likeness.
TCU (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) returns to action at Kansas State (7-6, 0-1 Big 12) on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. in Manhattan, Kansas with the game being televised on ESPNU.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 4:50 PM.
