How this junior college recruit became a breakout star for TCU basketball
Before the season, TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon predicted that Xavier Edmonds could be an impact player.
While Edmonds was the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the country, his signing went under the radar, as much of the attention in the offseason was paid to TCU’s transfer portal haul and the signing of former Duncanville star Kayden “Bugg” Edwards.
But as the Horned Frogs (13-8, 3-5 Big 12) approach the midpoint of conference play, there’s a case to be made that Edmonds has been TCU’s most impactful newcomers and one of the most underrated signings in the Big 12.
“We signed Xavier. We think he’s a guy that could surprise people,” Dixon said Oct. 14.
Dixon’s prediction came true. Over his past five games, Edmonds is averaging 17.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, including three straight doubles-doubles against Oklahoma State, Baylor and No. 10 Houston.
On the season he’s averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds while becoming the Horned Frogs’ starting center with Malick Diallo out for the year.
Edmonds always knew he could perform at this Power Four level, he just needed an opportunity to get there.
Junior college journey
Edmonds starred as a high school player in the class of 2023 at Bishop Montgomery in Torrance, California, in the Los Angeles area. Edmonds was ranked just outside the top 200 by 247Sports and even held an offer from Nebraska.
But Edmonds had to take a detour before he ended up at the Division I level, needing to complete two years of junior college.
“So during quarantine, it was a rough time for me. I have a disabled brother that I had to look after,” Edmonds said. “It was, it was just a hard setting to focus in, with classes being online. So when it was time to commit and try to go do one out of high school, I ended up finding out I didn’t have enough credits.”
By the time Edmonds found out he was ineligible it was too late to retake any classes, which meant his only option was going the junior college route. There was a problem, though: Edmonds had no knowledge of anything regarding junior colleges, as he was anticipating being on a Division I campus.
His first thought was to find a junior college in a California that would’ve let him stay closer to his family, but as he did more research, he ran into another hurdle.
“California JUCOs only play in California,” Edmonds said. “They only play against California schools. And you have national JUCOs, where you’re playing at a higher scale against the best of the best in the JUCO level. So we were, as we’re doing our research, we found out that Salt Lake was probably the one for the last 10 years.
“Even the guys they were sending to D-I were doing well. They had a pretty good resume and they wanted me so I just wanted to put myself in the best position to play D-I basketball.”
While life at some junior colleges can be difficult due to a lack of resources, Edmonds said his experience at Salt Lake Community College was one he cherished.
Not only did it allow him to focus in the classroom, it was also a place that allowed him to expand his game on the court.
“I had a real old-school coach in high school,” Edmonds said. “So a lot of my work was just back to the basket, pick-and-rolls. But at JUCO I was able to become more versatile. The talent isn’t like the Big 12, so I was able to experiment more.
“I felt like JUCO was an area where I was able to grow my confidence and learn new stuff about myself as a basketball player. Through that journey I became more versatile, was able to stretch the floor, put the ball on the floor and be more productive in other areas.”
Edmonds was productive in his first season at SLCC, averaging 14.0 and 7.4 rebounds, but the looks from major colleges didn’t come as quickly as most knew Edmonds needed another year before he was eligible.
The next season Edmonds established himself as the top-ranked junior college player, as he averaged 21.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Edmonds said his phone was constantly ringing with coaches showing interest, but throughout his whole process, there was one school that remained consistent the entire time.
Landing in Fort Worth
Edmonds said the biggest factors in his recruitment were loyalty and finding a place that he could compete at the highest level.
That’s how TCU was able to separate itself from a host of other schools.
“TCU started recruiting me my senior year in high school,” Edmonds said. “They were coming to my games around December. They would come to my games and stuff like that. And I knew they were Big 12, one of the best conferences in college basketball.
“And I’m a guy that’s real big on loyalty for the past, like whatever team I’ve been on, I’ve stayed there, whether it was the Compton Magic, my AAU team, my high school team, my JUCO, like I’ve always stayed there. I wanted to grow and develop in the places that I’ve been at. So I’m real big on loyalty, and TCU just displayed a lot of that.”
Edmonds said TCU was the most consistent school when it came to staying in touch, and the Horned Frogs also went the extra mile to visit Edmonds’ family and build relationships with his inner circle.
That led to Edmonds finally living out his dream and signing with a Division I program in a premier conference.
But there was still more adversity that Edmonds needed to overcome.
Finding his place
After dominating at the junior college level, Edmonds anticipated he would be a starter, but Dixion had a different plan with TCU retaining sophomore center Malick Diallo.
“I found out that I wasn’t starting and that ... did kind of kill my ego a little bit,” Edmonds said. “Because, you know, coming from a JUCO, being a No. 1-ranked player then coming here and not starting, it kind of hurts.”
Edmonds’ initial role was similar to the one he played in high school. He was asked to sit in the dunker spot of easy baskets and to do “basic stuff” that bigs would normally do like set screens.
But then Diallo went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the season. In just one game, Edmonds went from a depth piece to one of the most important players on the roster with TCU having limited personnel in the frontcourt.
“As Malick got hurt, and then I just realized I had more freedom to do things,” Edmonds said. “I started experimenting, getting more comfortable with myself. I started finding myself again, and now I’m able to be more free on the court.”
In a conference full of All-American talent and future NBA players, Edmonds has emerged as one of the Big 12’s most productive big men.
Edmonds joked that he didn’t think his coaches believed he would be this good so soon, but this type of production is why Dixon pushed Edmonds hard in the offseason.
“Defensively he’s been better than we anticipated,” Dixon said after Edmonds scored a team-high 18 points Wednesday against Houston. “He’s been coachable, and we knew he had good feet. He’s done some good things, probably better than most guys new to this level. Offensively, he’s always had a knack and a feel.”
Edmonds won his first conference award earlier this week as he named to the Big 12 starting five on Monday with other stars like BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin.
The emergence of Edmonds also gives TCU a dynamic 1-2 punch in the frontcourt with sophomore forward David Punch. They were the primary reason the Horned Frogs had a chance to upset the Cougars on Wednesday, and the program’s NCAA Tournament hopes hinge on Edmonds and Punch continuing their production.
It took longer than expected, but Edmonds is finally having the type of impact at the Power Four level he envisioned he was capable of. It wouldn’t have been possible without his time at a junior college.
“I feel like if I went Division I straight out of high school, I wouldn’t have got the chance to kind of find out who I am as a player,” Edmonds said. “I wouldn’t have got the chance to be free and gain that confidence.”
