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Posted: Thursday October 31, 2002 4:27 PM Updated: Thursday October 31, 2002 4:59 PM TCU Horned Frogs
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
Billy Tubbs and his high-scoring, take-no-prisoners offense might be gone, but TCU fans needn’t worry about the Horned Frogs becoming dull under new coach Neil Dougherty. Quite the contrary, in fact. "We will continue to run," said Dougherty, hired off Roy Williams’ staff at Kansas after Tubbs retired. "There’s no question about it. In my seven years at Kansas, we were in the top 10 [in the country] in scoring every year, and we actually led the country a couple of times, including last year. Yet a lot of people didn’t perceive us as a run-and-gun team. That’s because we weren’t. We were a run-and-get-a-great-shot team." Therein lies the difference in philosophies between Dougherty and Tubbs. "We won’t run to take a quick shot," Dougherty said. "We run to take a great shot. We want a layup. If we don’t get a layup, we’re going to run and put enough pressure on you that we’re going to get a shot with no hand in the face. That will be the difference. Our assist totals should go up because we won’t be going one-on-one. Hopefully, our rebound totals will go up as we pay more attention to boxing out. And we want to guard. Our goal is to get a great shot and then go down and challenge every time down the floor."
There will be one more important difference in styles now that Dougherty, 41, has finally gotten the chance, like so many other Williams proteges, to run his own program. Whereas Tubbs showed no mercy when it came to running up the score, Dougherty will know when to back off. "Last year at Kansas, we hung 100 points 13 times," Dougherty said. "If coach had wanted to, it could have been 16 or 20 times. I remember a couple of times Nick [Collison] and Drew [Gooden] leaning way back in their seats, like they knew they weren’t getting back in the game. Coach didn’t want to rub it in people’s faces. We’ll do the same." The truth is, Tubbs’ style didn’t translate so well to Conference USA, where Cincinnati, among others, sets a tone for tough, physical defensive play. The Horned Frogs’ newfound emphasis on getting the highest-percentage shot available will serve them better. Dougherty is excited to see how the lessons he learned from such capable mentors as Mike Krzyzewski (for whom he played at Army), Eddie Fogler (whom Dougherty served as an assistant at Vanderbilt and South Carolina) and Williams will combine to form his own philosophy. "When I sit down with my friends in coaching and we start sharing experiences, I realize even more how lucky I was to learn under Eddie and Roy and play for coach K," Dougherty said. "Coach K was a great motivator -- at Army, he had us believing we could win. And that’s not to slight his coaching ability -- we all know how exceptional he is. "Eddie Fogler could prepare a team as well as anyone. No matter who we played, it seemed like we’d always be right there in the game. And Roy Williams is such a great communicator. No one communicates to his coaches and players what he wants done better than Roy. "I hope I can take all the strengths of those guys and combine them in a way that fits my personality and experience the same type of success they have." Tubbs left some talent behind, even though, after announcing his retirement before last season began, he didn’t sign any newcomers. TCU is set at guard, where Junior Blount (19.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.2 apg), a 6-foot-0 senior, and 6-2 sophomore Corey Santee (14.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5.8 apg) are returning starters. Both players made impacts in their debut seasons, Blount earning second-team All-C-USA honors and Santee making the league’s all-freshman team. Blount, who might be an inch or two shorter than he’s listed, piled up some impressive numbers. He led the league in C-USA games only with his scoring average of 22.8 and set a league record for points in a conference season with 364, breaking the mark of 363 set by Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati) and Omar Sneed (Memphis). Blount also set a C-USA conference game record for points with 42 at Tulane. That also tied the league’s single-game record. Blount finished the season with 603 points, 12th in single-season scoring at TCU. He reached double figures in 26 games, and he scored at least 18 points in 13-of-16 C-USA games. Blount led the Horned Frogs in scoring 15 times, including 12 times in league games. He scored at least 30 points in six games, including five times against C-USA opponents. When Dougherty started assessing his personnel, one of the first game films he reached for was Tulane. He came away impressed with Blount’s ability to put the ball in the basket. "Junior can score," Dougherty said. "He figures out ways to score. With his size, and how he scores, it’s somewhat amazing. He’s probably 5-10, 5-11 and maybe 165 pounds and yet he was able to score 41 points at Tulane. He spots up and makes a lot of threes, but he can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He’s just active. When he gets it going, he can score a bunch of points in a hurry." Blount can do more than score. He finished seventh in the league in assists and fifth in steals (1.9 per game). Santee started 22 times as a freshman and averaged 31 minutes per game. His 3-point stroke (30 percent) could use some work, but he’s a playmaker who finished second in C-USA in assists. With Blount, Santee and junior Nucleus Smith (5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg), Dougherty isn’t worried about his backcourt. "Any one of those three could play point for us," Dougherty said. "We’ve got that covered." James Davis (5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg), a 6-5 sophomore, also returns at guard. He earned 10 starts last season. TCU has two returning starters up front in 6-9 senior Bingo Merriex (12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and 6-5 sophomore Corey Valsin (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Merriex has skills that remind Dougherty of two Kansas stalwarts. "Drew Gooden and Nick Collison felt comfortable handling the ball and shooting from on any spot on the floor," Dougherty said. "Bingo’s got a similar package. For a big person, he’s an exceptional scorer. He’s got a great feel for the game at 6-8. He makes the right pass at the right time and he can shoot from anywhere and put the ball on the floor." Merriex was third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding a year ago. He also led TCU in blocked shots (36) and was fourth in steals (25) and assists (51). Another returning frontcourt player who will see significant action is 6-7 Jamal Brown (10.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg). Brown led TCU and was seventh in C-USA in rebounding. He started 18 games in 2001-2002. Rebel Paulk (3.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg), a 6-11, 240-pound senior, and 6-8 sophomore Marcus Sloan (0.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg), will compete for backup minutes after playing sparingly a year ago. Paulk played in 26 games and started three times, but averaged just nine minutes on the floor. Still, he was able to block 22 shots, second on the team. Three newcomers, two of whom practiced with TCU a year ago, should make significant contributions. Ronald Hobbs, a 6-6 junior, sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech. Two years ago, he played in 16 games for the Red Raiders, averaging 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while starting 10 times. He scored a season-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting at Louisiana-Lafayette and had 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds against UTEP. Dougherty remembers Hobbs from two years ago, when both were in the Big 12. "Athletically, he’s off the chart," Dougherty said. "That’s what I remember most about him. Just how high he can jump. If he can get a little stronger and shoot a little better from three, he’s got a chance to be a big-time college player." Brian Carter, a 6-11 redshirt freshman, also sat out last season. Two years ago, Carter averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds at Winchendon (Mass.) Prep. Dougherty and his staff were able to sign just one player after taking over, but Chudi Chinweze, a 6-6, 225-pound freshman, is a good one. He was ranked the No. 11 player in Texas by TexasHoops.com after averaging 19 points and 8.7 rebounds at Houston Hightower. He chose TCU over Miami, Oklahoma and Houston. "Chudi’s very athletic," Dougherty said. "At the time we signed him, he was the best athlete available in the state of Texas. We were very lucky to get him." Dougherty is the latest in a succession of former Williams assistants to take over his own Division I program. At 41, he should be ready. After playing for Krzyzewski and working for Fogler and Williams, Dougherty had the unique opportunity to learn from some of the game’s masters. He’ll put the lessons learned to good use at TCU. Dougherty plans to run an exciting system, one that will emulate Kansas. The Horned Frogs will run when they get the opportunity, but unlike their run-and-gun days under Tubbs, they will always seek high percentage shots. They’ll play pressure man-to-man defense and work hard at other blue-collar chores such as rebounding. Tubbs left some talent behind, and Dougherty was wise enough to put together a trip to Australia in August. TCU practiced 10 days before the trip, giving Dougherty a chance to implement his system. The games provided Dougherty’s new players an opportunity to learn what will be expected of them. With excellent guards and at least one talented frontcourt player in Merriex, TCU won’t be like the typical team that gets taken over by a new coach. The Horned Frogs will be competitive if they buy into Dougherty’s system and might be able to put together enough wins to earn a postseason tournament berth. That would be a great accomplishment for Dougherty in his rookie season as a head coach.
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