TCU basketball starts in one week. The Frogs provided a sneak peek at this year’s team.
The TCU men’s basketball season is just a week away with the season opener against McNeese State set for next Thursday night at Schollmaier Arena.
The Horned Frogs opened their doors Wednesday night for students and fans to get a glimpse of this year’s team. The purple/white scrimmage featured a 3-point shooting contest and a dunk contest as well as two 12-minute halves.
“This was kind of a way to play in front of some people,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I like to keep it to students, get a couple hundred students here and hang out with them afterward. Trying to make more of them part of the Frog Army. We had a good turnout. I’m excited about it.”
The night started off with senior guard Harrison Young winning the 3-point contest. Junior guard Damion Baugh won the dunk contest by jumping over 7-foot center Souleymane Doumbia.
“This is good to do something like this for the community,” Baugh said. “Kids are asking for pictures. We’re role models to some of them, so it’s fun doing this.”
In the scrimmage portion, Chuck O’Bannon Jr. led all scorers with 21 points followed by Baugh’s 15 points. Shahada Wells had 14 points, Micah Peavy had 13 points and Mike Miles had 12.
The purple/white scrimmage came on the heels of the team scrimmaging against UT El Paso on Saturday in Fort Worth.
The Frogs won that scrimmage 79-56 with Emanuel Miller scoring 23 points and Baugh finishing with 18. Miller and Maxwell Evans didn’t take part in Wednesday’s events as both are nursing their way back from minor injuries.
Baugh, meanwhile, has emerged as a player to watch going into the season. The Memphis transfer was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and feels he’s made a fairly seamless transition into Dixon’s system.
“When I first got here, I turned it over a lot,” Baugh said with a chuckle. “But the game has slowed down for me. I feel my jump shot has gotten better and my game has gotten better.”
TCU overhauled its roster following a 12-14 season in 2020-21, and Dixon is excited about the roster he and his staff have assembled.
It’s a deep and athletic group, he said.
“We’ve got versatility. I don’t feel like we have a hole,” Dixon said. “This is a good group of 12 (scholarship) guys. We’re working hard. We’re long. We’re big. We’ve got good guards. It starts with Mike Miles. Damion has played very well. (Francisco Farabello) brings a lot of experience.
“They’ll be ready. I’m excited about it.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
