After long wait, TCU basketball’s Terren Frank makes most of chance to show his skills
TCU basketball coach Jamie Dixon didn’t mince words when he met with freshman forward Terren Frank the other week.
“I said he’s got to play harder in practice and get after it more,” Dixon said. “This season ain’t over for you. You’ve been in a couple times, but we need you.”
Message received.
Frank had a breakout performance in TCU’s 79-76 victory over Iowa State on Tuesday night, scoring eight points in a season-high 20 minutes off the bench.
Frank provided a necessary spark late in the first half when the Frogs had fallen behind by nine points, knocking down two 3-pointers in the final two minutes as TCU rallied to tie the game by halftime.
Frank then started the second half and continued his strong play. Along with the eight points, he had four rebounds, one steal and one block.
“Terren Frank was huge for us,” Dixon said after the game. “He’s been through a lot. He got his weight down. He’s playing and practicing the last couple of days really well. We threw him in there and obviously he was terrific.”
For Frank, the performance had been expected. Even though he hasn’t played much this season — he had a combined 13 minutes over five games with his last appearance coming Jan. 12 at Oklahoma — Frank is not lacking confidence.
This is a guy who was rated as the No. 90 player in the country of ESPN’s Top 100 coming out of Sierra Canyon High School in California. Like most college players, he was a star in high school.
Frank’s high school teammates included Bronny James (LeBron James’ son), Zaire Wade (Dwyane Wade’s son), Scotty Pippen Jr. (Scottie Pippen’s son), Duane Washington Jr. (Duane Washington’s son and Derek Fisher’s nephew) and Kenyon Martin Jr. (Kenyon Martin’s son).
“It was hard coming from being a star player all through high school and coming here and not getting to play,” Frank said. “It was tough, but I’ve just stayed focused and kept working hard.”
Frank’s performance should lead to more minutes down the stretch.
He scored his first college points with a 3-pointer at the 1:55-mark of the first half, and then knocked down a second 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the opening half that tied it at 38. Late in the second half, Frank scored again on a jumper that extended TCU’s lead to 73-68 with 1:34 left.
Having that type of night made the wait worth it.
“It’s been really hard to be on the sidelines watching every game and not being able to help my team win,” Frank said. “I love playing basketball, so I’ve focused on getting myself better. Whenever my name is called this year or next year, I’ll be ready to perform.”
Dixon likes that mindset, going as far as saying: “He should’ve been playing more if he’s going to play like that. We saw it coming in practice the last couple of days.”
Frank is now focused on staying consistent and continuing to make the most of his opportunities. TCU could use that spark off the bench every game.
“It doesn’t give me any more drive cause I already have all the drive,” Frank said. “It just justifies everything I’ve been doing. The confidence I have in myself and the confidence my coach and my teammates have in me ... just keep building on that. It’ll be good for me and the team.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
