‘He’s never had a bad day.’ TCU’s Bane leaving more than just a basketball legacy
TCU senior guard Desmond Bane has already etched his name in the history books.
He ranks third on the Horned Frogs’ all-time scoring list with 1,744 points and has a chance to join the 1,800-point club, which has been done only twice in program history by Darrell Browder (1,886 points from 1980-83) and Corey Santee (1,832 points from 2002-05).
Bane’s next 3-pointer will make him the school’s 3-point king, breaking a tie with Santee for most all-time at 243. He’s also on track to break JD Miller’s record of games played (140) and is just the second player to log more than 4,200 minutes in his TCU career along with Browder.
For as impressive as those numbers are, though, the number 84 (and counting) truly defines his legacy. That’s how many wins he’s been a part of in his TCU career, making him the winningest player in program history.
“Just point to the wins and that says more than anything,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I don’t know that there’s a better statistic or a better record to hold. There is none in a coach’s mind. When you’ve done that, you’ve done tremendous things over a career and taken a program to unprecedented heights.”
Not too shabby for a player who wasn’t even ranked as a recruit coming out of Seton Catholic High School in Richmond, Indiana. Bane will be honored and celebrated for his storied career on Saturday, as TCU takes on Oklahoma in the regular-season finale at Schollmaier Arena.
Asked about Senior Day, Bane said: “It brings memories. It brings anxiousness. It brings sadness. It’s going to be different, but I’m excited for it. I’m excited for the game on Saturday and another opportunity to play.”
The latest count had 61 family and friends attending his final home game. But Bane isn’t ready to fully reflect on his college career yet.
TCU (16-14, 7-10 Big 12) is still playing for a bye at next week’s Big 12 tournament, and it hasn’t given up on its postseason dreams. The NCAA Tournament could be within reach if things fell the right way, or at least an NIT berth.
Bane is playing his best basketball down the stretch, scoring 20-plus points in each of the last three games. He has made 11 3-pointers in the past two games, helping TCU knock off No. 2 Baylor last Saturday and then going toe-to-toe with top-ranked Kansas on Wednesday.
“I think there’s still more good times to come,” Bane said.
There’s been plenty of good times to date, too.
Bane is proud of helping TCU win the NIT title as a freshman in 2016-17, a season that also included the program’s first victory over a No. 1-ranked team (85-82 victory over Kansas in the Big 12 tournament).
He then was part of the team that snapped a 20-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2017-18. Last year saw TCU reach the 20-win mark, but become one of the biggest snubs of March Madness. The Frogs responded by reaching the NIT semifinals.
And this year has seen TCU endure plenty of ups and downs, but the program had its biggest home upset when it took down Baylor last week.
“This has been the perfect match for me and my college career,” Bane said. “TCU has been great to me. I want to represent the school as best I can.”
Model citizen
TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati hosts an annual back-to-school barbecue for student-athletes every fall, and wanted a current player to address the group.
Bane was an easy decision as he’s modeled everything TCU wants out of its student athletes.
“Desmond rushed over from practice, he hadn’t even had a chance to shower, but he delivered a great message,” Donati said. “He’s always willing and able and just personifies what a leader is.
“I like to call him ‘Mr. TCU’ because he’s just been an unbelievable representative of the university.”
Donati pointed to a couple other examples such as Bane staying late to meet with professionals during a networking event TCU puts on for its student-athletes.
As Donati said, “Here’s a guy who’s going to be playing professional basketball and he’s the last guy in the room interacting with employers.”
And just this week Donati ran into Bane at Schollmaier Arena.
Donati was leaving one of TCU’s spring football practices and was walking back to his office when he popped into the gym.
Of course, Bane was in there working on his shot by himself. This was just a couple days after Bane went 5-for-5 from 3-point range in the second half of TCU’s stunning upset of Baylor.
“Again, that just speaks to the kind of person he is and the kind of work ethic he has,” Donati said.
How dedicated has Bane been throughout his career? Bane has never missed a game, and has missed just one non-summer workout because of an illness.
Saturday will mark his 84th consecutive start.
For Dixon, Bane has been the one constant through his first four years coaching his alma mater. Dixon remembers the in-home visit during the recruiting process, a kid taking a chance on a program that had just gone 2-16 in Big 12 play and a program taking a chance on a kid who most overlooked.
“He believed in us. We believed in him too,” Dixon said. “We were the biggest school by far, the only Power Five, but our history wasn’t a great draw. But he believed.
“He’s done tremendous things on the court. His positive attitude, his smile, his work ethic, all those things say tremendous things about him. He’s touched the campus in a lot of ways.”
Dixon then used a phrase to describe Bane that he’s heard when people talked about his late sister Maggie.
“He’s never had a bad day,” Dixon said.
The future
Bane didn’t come to TCU as a highly touted player. As stated, he didn’t even have a ranking in high school as he played in Indiana’s lowest division Class A.
There were 23 students in his graduating class, and the only offers he received were from from Ball State and Miami (Ohio).
But make no mistake, Bane was still a star in high school. He averaged 30 points and 11.5 rebounds his senior season, scoring 62 points in one game.
It’s all worked out, though.
Bane has gone by being nicknamed “Honey Bun” by his teammates as a freshman with 16% body fat to a chiseled basketball player who is often confused for being a football player at TCU.
He was named a second-team All-Big 12 player last season, and is in line for possible first-team honors as the Big 12’s second-leading scorer this season (16.4 points). Bane described his growth on the court as “tremendous.”
“Thanks to the coaches and my teammates for pushing me all the time,” Bane said. “I came in and I wasn’t even ranked and now we’re playing against McDonald’s All-Americans and highly touted guys. I stack up right there with them. It’s a good feeling, but I’m not content at all. I want to keep working and keep improving.”
Bane is on NBA radars and could carve out a niche in the league as a 3-point specialist. Or he could opt for a lucrative career overseas.
Whatever he does, he’ll always have a home at TCU. As Donati called him, Bane is “Mr. TCU.”
“He’ll be successful in anything he does,” Donati said. “He came here as a fish out of water, an Indiana kid who didn’t know much about the school. But he’s made huge inroads across the department. I’ve been lucky to mentor him these last few years and Saturday will be a bittersweet day.
“On one hand, Desmond’s got a huge future ahead of him. On the other hand, I know we’ll all miss seeing him around campus.”
Donati then used Dixon’s phrase, saying: “Desmond’s never had a bad day.”
