How the return of TCU’s freshmen led to a return to the NCAA Tournament
In the transfer portal era of college basketball, it’s never a given that players will spend multiple seasons with the programs they sign with out of high school.
After TCU men’s basketball finished 16-16 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, many around Fort Worth wondered if TCU would be able to retain prominent freshman forwards David Punch and Micah Robinson.
Robinson and Punch, along with freshman center Malick Diallo and guard Jace Posey, made the decision to return to TCU, and their choice was rewarded, as the Horned Frogs won nine of their final 11 games to get back to the NCAA Tournament this season.
The No. 9 seed Horned Frogs (22-11) will face No. 8 seed Ohio State (21-12) at 11:15 a.m. Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina, on CBS.
Punch said it means the world to be in the tournament after he trusted his gut that TCU had what it took to reach March Madness.
“It feels great, I had a feeling we were going to be in this position,” Punch said. “Thinking about it last year, I’m glad I stayed. This just shows how my work paid off, how the work of the team has paid off.”
Punch was a vital reason TCU made its late surge to go from the bubble to the NCAA Tournament. He was productive as a freshman, but was mostly a defender, scoring most of his points on putbacks and alley-oops.
This year, Punch developed into TCU’s leader in points (14.3 per game), rebounds (6.7) and blocks (2.0). As a freshman, he averaged 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. The leap in his production is one example of how it can beneficial to stay at a place longer, even if there’s adversity.
“You want to have growth. You want to see guys get better. That’s what guys do in our program,” coach Jamie Dixon said at the Big 12 Tournament. “And that’s why you coach. That’s why you put teams together and you want to see guys improve individually and collectively, and he certainly has.”
Micah Robinson breaks into starting lineup
Another player who has improved tremendously since his freshman season is Robinson. He started this season on the bench, but was inserted into the starting lineup Feb. 10 against Iowa State.
The Horned Frogs have gone 8-2 since Robinson became a starter. Punch said his relationships with Robinson and the rest of his teammates were some of the reasons he believed TCU could bounce back.
“I feel like everybody came right back with the right mindset,” Punch said. “I see [Micah] every day. It’s a bond that I haven’t had before. Usually you get time away from your teammates, but here I’m like, nah, they’re brothers to me. I love these dudes.”
Robinson previously told the Star-Telegram in October he never thought about leaving TCU, and his decision also was rewarded with a tournament berth and his place in the starting lineup.
“It definitely means a lot,” Robinson said. “I feel like that’s [a goal] we set that we wanted to get done coming back. Last year having to watch the tournament definitely hurt. So it just means a lot we were all able to come back and we reached that goal of making it to March.”
A versatile defender, Robinson has also provided an impact with his athleticism and improved scoring ability. He averaged 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 steals last year, but is now averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
Robinson’s return was huge not just for this season, but also the future ability of the program to land blue chip prospects like him. Robinson is the third-highest-ranked recruit to sign with TCU since 2000, per 247Sports. His success could signal to other four-stars that they can be developed at TCU.
Robinson said most of his growth this season was related to his basketball I.Q.
“I definitely feel like I made a lot of growth from last year. Mainly, I feel the biggest area I’ve grown in is the mental side of the game,” Robinson said. “I feel like I’ve kind of changed the way I approach games, and I feel like that’s been one of the leading factors in some of my success this year.”
Jamie Dixon expecting even more from Micah Robinson
It can be hard sometimes to trust in the process when there’s always the allure of a potential bigger role elsewhere with the portal, but Robinson also previously said he’s had his most success sticking with a system.
After taking a leap as a sophomore, Robinson is capable of even more, Dixon said.
“He does everything right,” Dixon said. “I joked with him yesterday that he does everything right, so we want to be a little bit more vocal and be that leader. He’s getting there, and he does it by his actions. Defensively, he’s terrific. He guards on the perimeter, he guards inside and guards oftentimes the leading scorer.
“... Micah’s a well-rounded guy that does a lot of things for us.”
As important as having Robinson and Punch back for another season has been, Dixon also wanted to make sure other returners like Diallo, Posey and guards Ashton Simmons and RJ Jones also received credit for TCU’s turnaround.
Diallo was supposed to be the starting center, but tore his ACL in the season opener against New Orleans. Posey has played in 26 games, but only averages 11.7 minutes, while Simmons and Jones have combined to appear in just 12 games this season.
Their contributions aren’t as huge as Punch and Robinson, but their return gave Dixon a foundation to build around and helped instill the culture to new transfers like guards Brock Harding and Jayden Pierre.
“I know their numbers don’t stand out, but it’s really a big part of [what] we were able to put together,” Dixon said. “They were excited to be back. They’ve been a big part of our improvement because our practices have been so competitive. So I think all six guys returning was really valuable.
“They have been huge for us in just camaraderie, continuity, practice, attitude and kids that fit our university, our program.”
TCU needed to return its core from last year to have a chance of competing this season, and the growth of Punch and Robinson is a prime example of why the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
The sophomores accomplished their primary goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament. Now, can they lead TCU to its first tournament win since 2023?
