TCU freshman guard Desmond Bane was relatively unknown entering his senior year of high school, but as his first year at TCU winds down, he’s now known for far more than having a last name of a Batman villain.
A broken hand before his senior year kept him off many schools’ recruiting lists. Once he returned to full health, that changed almost immediately.

“I still couldn’t get a Division I offer until the high school season started, and then they just started flooding in,” TCU guard Desmond Bane said.

TCU head Coach Jamie Dixon has seen a lot of growth from the first-year wing as the season has progressed.

“He’s the guy who had the open shot against West Virginia, doesn’t make and is crushed, then, a couple games later, he’s on national tv winning the game against Kansas,” Dixon said. “He’s had a lifetime of experience in two weeks with the up’s and the downs, and he’s grown up after the Kansas game, making the three game-winning free throws.”

Dixon knew Bane would play right away because of his offense, but his defense was going to dictate how much Bane would see the court.

“I think right away once he got here, we had an understanding that he was going to play and that it would be based on his defense because he has a knack for scoring and is unique in that he can finish around the rim and he’s a shooter,” Dixon said. “You’ve seen that throughout the year finishing with either hand, he has some tools offensively, but defensively, we had some concerns because he played in the middle of a 2-3 zone in high school, and that doesn’t translate really well to guarding Kansas in the open court.”

Dixon praised Bane’s defense in their 94-92 win against Iowa, specifically his defense against Peter Jok, the Hawkeye’s leading scorer. Read More