Success, yes, but not quite the success that TCU hoops fans have been looking for
TCU is currently heading towards another appearance in the NIT, at best, which means the fourth year of the Jamie Dixon era is not quite going according to plan.
The expectation was when TCU lured their favorite basketball alum away from Pitt that the success he had there would translate to Fort Worth.
The evidence is irrefutable that since Dixon arrived the state of basketball at TCU has improved. It’s at least a relevant program now, capable of contending for postseason appearances.
The evidence is also irrefutable that TCU basketball under Jamie Dixon was expected to be ahead of where it is now. The Horned Frogs are struggling to remain above .500 and, at the moment, are outside of any plausible conversation for an NCAA Tourney berth.
The root of TCU’s problem
Jamie Dixon has often teased me and recited the line I have used too often that “TCU was the worst power coaching job in the nation.”
Selling TCU basketball is not easy. And it remains not easy.
When asked if this job has been harder than he expected, Dixon had a long pause.
“Not really. No,” he said. “We’re young. We have three returning players.”
About that.
The problem is Dixon has not recruited well enough to compete in the Big 12. And when he has scored top-tier talent, something went awry.
Point guard Jaylen Fisher was one of the highest-ranked recruits to ever sign with TCU. When he played as a freshman the ability and production were promising.
But he couldn’t stay healthy, and he left after his injury-plagued sophomore year. He transferred to Grand Canyon University, where he briefly played. He’s since turned pro and is now playing in Bulgaria.
Guard/forward Kouat Noi was another top-tier signee. He stayed for two seasons, and was a streaky scorer. By the start of his second semester in his sophomore year he looked as if he’d checked out. He turned pro after his sophomore year.
Point guard Kendric Davis looked like a player as a freshman last season. He could turn the corner on any defender and create plays. But there were “issues,” and the two parties agreed to split.
Davis is now SMU’s leading scorer at 15.9 points per game.
Too many of Dixon’s other highly-regarded recruits, namely Lat Mayen, Kaden Archie, Yuat Alok, Angus McWillam and a few others didn’t hit, or they pouted over playing time and left.
To date Dixon’s best recruits who contributed are Desmond Bane, who was an unknown out of Richmond, Indiana. Dixon landed him only because no school of note offered Bane, and he has since developed into a nice college player.
He is not, however, a player who can carry a team by himself. He thrives when he has someone to set him up.
The other is center Kevin Samuel, who is one of the top big men in the Big 12.
TCU’s best players under Dixon have been forward Kenrich Williams, center Vladimir Brodziansky and point guard Alex Robinson. Those three players were brought to TCU by Dixon’s predecessor, Trent Johnson.
With those three together under Dixon, TCU was 45-27, won an NIT title, and reached an NCAA.
After Williams and Brodziansky left, TCU has been 36-25. Robinson was the starting point guard for a team last season that narrowly missed an NCAA berth, and finished in the NIT semifinals.
The new players Dixon has brought in for this season have shown some promise, namely Francisco Farabello, but his team still lacks that guy who can create his own shot, or make a play when the shot clock is expiring.
The current state of TCU basketball
TCU hosts Kansas State on Saturday afternoon with its postseason future at stake. If TCU can’t beat the last-place team in the Big 12, the Frogs are cooked.
After TCU upset No. 18 Texas Tech 65-54 on Jan. 21 in Fort Worth, they looked like an NCAA Tourney team. Samuel and Bane were both loads.
“We executed some plays and that gave us confidence,” Dixon said. “We’ve had stretches in all of the games. Against Kansas we did. On the road even we’ve done it but we haven’t sustained it. That’s the challenge for everybody but we’re coming up short.”
Since that win, TCU has played like the team picked to finish last in the Big 12 before the season began. Blowout losses to good teams, and bad losses to Texas at home and an inexcusable double-digit defeat at Oklahoma State have kicked TCU down the Big 12 rankings.
The team is now 13-11, and 4-7 the Big 12 in arguably the worst stretch of Dixon’s coaching career.
TCU could end up in the NIT, which would mean four consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in school history. At TCU, that is progress.
But because Jamie Dixon is at the helm, just a bit more was expected.
This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
