TCU Basketball’s State of the Program Part I

A 9-4 start put wind in the sails of the TCU basketball program. Convincing wins over USC and SMU were making Jim Christian’s Frogs look like at least at NIT team. However, one trip through the Mountain West Conference later, and many are back to wondering where TCU basketball really stands in the college basketball landscape.

In college basketball, a program can only be as strong the coach that leads it, and a coach can only be as strong as the players that he coaches. So first let’s take a look at the job Jim Christian is doing…

When Christian came to TCU, the program had but three scholarship players. When he came from Kent St. to Fort Worth, he brought Ronnie Moss who has been TCU’s leading scorer over the past three years. Unfortunately, Moss’s future with the Frogs is up in the air after Moss’s suspension this year. Nonetheless he helped Christian stabilize the program.

Fans this season got a glimpse of the type of coach that Christian is. He accepts nothing but the best from his players, and his players know it. Andre Clark, Sammie Yeager, and Ronnie Moss found that out the hard way. While the suspensions may have cost TCU a win or two this season, Christian now has his players’ respect. Players like Amric Fields, Garlon Green, and Nikola Cerina know that Christian is not messing around.

“Say whatever you want, but that’s a guy who did not sell out for just a couple of more wins, and you have to respect that,” TCU AD Chris Del Conte said of Christian.

Christian must focus on recruiting, however. Early returns from what will be his 2011 class appear that Christian upping his recruiting a bit. He is no doubt helped by TCU’s switch to the Big East conference, but TCU has a chance to sign several players that could lay the foundation to success in the Big East conference.

TCU has offered Shaquille Stokes from Brooklyn, New York. Stokes is a quick point guard who has excellent range on his shot. Stokes is a relentless attacker with the basketball, and he has also drawn interest from Iowa and UNLV.  Christian has also offered four star shooting guard LeAntwan Luckett who is a very impressive player from Mississippi. Luckett also has offers from Colorado and Missouri State, but he may also decide to attend junior college. Luckett would be the type of scorer and well-rounded guard that Christian needs.

Christian continues to recruit power forward Ryan Rhoomes and shooting guard Josh Richardson. If Christian can bring Richardson, Stokes, and Luckett to Fort Worth, he will have quite a backcourt in the making.

Lets take a look at the current roster for TCU and take a look back at the 2010-2011 season for all:

Ronnie “Tuffy” Moss-Moss was TCU’s leading scorer this season averaging 15.7 points per game. Tuffy played only 20 of 33 games due to his suspension, and his status for 2011-2012 remains up in the air. TCU could use his scoring ability and veteran presence, but clearly Jim Christian will keep a close eye on Tuffy. Moss remains on pace to graduate, and everyone in the program is hoping that Tuffy sticks around to get his degree. He is deciding whether or not to return. He may attempt to play professionally in Europe or elsewhere.

Garlon Green–I wrote after the Moss suspension that Garlon Green must become the star for the Frogs down the stretch. He did not exactly become the dominant scorer that I would have assumed, and Nikola Cerina and Hank Thorns carried more of the offensive load. However, Green still finished the season averaging 11.2 points per game with 4.6 rebounds per contest. He will be very important to TCU’s success in 2011-2012, and over the offseason, Green and his best friend Jarvis Ray need to both hit the gym to continue to improve their outside shooting. Green shot 47% from the 3 point arc this season, and his outside game complements his ability to finish around the basket. But most importantly with Greg Hill gone, TCU will need a sharp shooter and Green will be as close as TCU comes if Ronnie Moss does not return.

J.R. Cadot-the native of the Bahamas that transferred to TCU this season had some games where he shined and others where was not a threat. Cadot is easily the most athletic player on TCU’s squad, and with his athleticisim, Cadot is best slashing to the basket. His outside shot needs work, but he is comparable to former Tennessee player JP Prince who made a living finishing in the paint. Jim Christian was most pleased with Cadot’s defense and rebounding ability. Cadot did a great job defending Jimmer Fredette in the games versus BYU, and he led the Frogs in rebounding several times. JR averaged 6 rebounds per game.

Nikola Cerina-Cerina was just a sophomore this past season, and like many of the Frogs, he was streaky. His best game occurred against New Mexico where he posted 17 points and 9 rebounds. Cerina nearly had a better freshman season, and he seemed to be plagued by foul trouble at times. When TCU ran their offense through Cerina, he rewarded them, but too often they simply forgot about Cerina in the post. Niko remains TCU’s only real threat in the post, so he will be very important to Jim Christian this upcoming season, and the lack of frontcourt depth has Christian pursuing Ryan Rhoomes heavily.

Jarvis Ray-Ray was a freshman this season, and his youth was evident on the court. He was often overmatched physically, and he will need to live in the weight room during the offseason. Jarvis Ray was a good scorer, playing the point guard position in high school, so he has decent scoring ability. He needs to continue to fine tune his skills, especially his jump shot. While Christian had to play Ray more than he wanted due to suspensions and dismissals, Ray seemed to improve as the season went on. To be an offensive threat, he will need to work at his attacking off the dribble and his outside shooting.

For analysis of the rest of the roster check out TCU Basketball’s State of the Program Part II.

Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting will be the name of the game for Christian the next two years, but for fans who have studied the development of TCU’s program over Christian’s tenure, the development is obvious.  Jim Christian took Kent State to the NCAA tournament twice during his time there. In his last three years, Christian won 25, 21, and 28 games respectively. In all, he posted 6 consecutive 20 win seasons.

Christian says that his one regret over his first few years at TCU is that he has failed to change the culture with the basketball program, but the home game vs. BYU showed Christian and everyone what TCU basketball can look like. Christian told the Fort Worth Star Telegram that after the final game of the season vs. BYU, the players were upbeat. They were beginning to see their improvement, and they were looking forward to offseason workouts.

With some momentum established internally, I will say it again, Christian can get the rest of the TCU community to take notice with a good recruiting class. Jim Christian needs to stock pile talent, and then simply win. More wins bring more fans, and that is obvious with every sports team in this nation.

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