Ex-TCU standout returns to North Texas for the first time as an NBA player
After a standout two years with the TCU Horned Frogs men’s basketball team, Damion Baugh returned to the Metroplex for the first time as an NBA member when the Charlotte Hornets played the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Dallas won 103-96, but Baugh had two points, two rebounds and two assists for Charlotte.
He told the Star-Telegram what it meant for him to get an NBA opportunity.
“It’s been amazing. I say just never giving up — sometimes I feel like I wanna give up, but it’s just something I can’t do,” Baugh said. “This is my dream, I kinda accomplished it, so [I’ll] just keep going from here.”
Hornets head coach Charles Lee praised the former Horned Frog for the mentality he brings to the franchise.
“I’ve loved Damian’s immediate impact that he’s given to our team. I feel like the professionalism that he carries with him, the everyday approach ... a guy that’s obsessed with daily improvement. What are we doing mentally, physically, on the court, off the court, just continue to just try to be our best selves,” Lee said. “He walks around with a basketball all the time and so the guy is a hoop junkie, and I love that. And he’s always just thinking about, how can he continue to get better? And just bringing that type of edge or mindset to our environment [is] huge.
From TCU to the G League to the Hornets
Baugh had an unconventional path to the NBA. He went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and then played with two different G League franchises before signing a two-way contract with the Hornets and their G League team the Greensboro Swarm in early February.
Two-way contracts allow NBA teams to sign developmental players and have them play for their G League affiliates as well as their NBA team. Only players with less than four years of playing experience are eligible, and G League players can only play 50 games in an NBA season.
Baugh started his G League career with the South Bay Lakers, but was traded to the Westchester Knicks before signing with the Hornets.
Baugh has played five games in his NBA career, averaging nine points, 2.8 rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals. He credited TCU head coach Jamie Dixon and the school for preparing him for the NBA.
“They prepared me a lot,” Baugh said. “That was my first time ever going to the NCAA Tournament and I think that kinda prepared me playing in an NBA arena...I think that kinda helped out a lot.”
When explaining what he liked about Baugh’s game on the court, Lee cited his rebounding, among other traits.
“On the court, we’ve been able to see his fearlessness. No matter if he remembers a play, doesn’t know a play, [or he’s] still trying to learn our terminology, he’s just out there competing at a really high level. I love it,” Lee said. “And [he’s] not backing down from a match-up or a transition assignment.
“Offensively, I think we’ve been able to see his confidence. He’s able to get himself downhill, finish in the paint. He’s made a couple really nice passes. And then offensive rebounding, another element of just trying to compete for an extra possession. He’s all about it. So I think he’s given our team a lot of a lot of good things.”
Dixon relentlessly focuses on rebounding, and Baugh chuckled when asked how the coach helped that part of his game.
“We had a drill every day with Coach Dixon, offensive rebounding. I think that kinda helped,” Baugh said.
TCU almost snagged Baugh right out of Tennessee Prep Academy, but he instead started his college career at Memphis. However, he said transferring to TCU wasn’t a difficult choice.
“TCU, they recruited me out of high school, they were in my top three and the moment I hit the portal they were the first school to call me,” Baugh said. “Once they called me I just talked to my parents and that was basically it for me.”
Baugh averaged 11.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds during his TCU tenure, helping the Horned Frogs to their first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since the early 1950s.
The point guard dropped by Fort Worth’s Schollmaier Arena when he was in town to watch the women’s basketball team’s win against Houston and said he was excited to watch them in the postseason.
“I went to the game yesterday and that’s the most people I’ve seen at the girl’s game in a minute. I think that’s pretty exciting for them, I’m happy for the girls and I hope they make a big run in the tournament,” he said.
Other Horned Frogs in the NBA
Baugh is one of three Horned Frogs who have played in the NBA this season, along with Desmond Bane and Kenrich Williams. Baugh talked about what it meant for the program to have so much success at the highest level, even outside of the NBA.
“The journey don’t stop,” he said. “Most people think if you don’t make it to the NBA, that’s the end. [But] we have players in the G League, overseas. That’s just a testament to Coach Dixon trying to get guys in there and teaching us how to play the right way.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
