TCU is looking to build upon recent success but the Horned Frogs will be without star David Punch next season.
After a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, TCU is gearing up for another successful season on the court.
The Horned Frogs will be missing a key piece of their memorable year, however, as standout forward David Punch is headed cross-state to join up with the Texas Longhorns.
Despite the major departure, head coach Jamie Dixon is returning several pivotal players and vying to make moves to reload the Horned Frogs. In the face of uncertainty, fans are going to have to be willing to put their trust into Dixon.
Three of the biggest returners for TCU are Micah Robinson, Brock Harding and Xavier Edmonds. The trio were all starters for the Horned Frogs last season and played significant roles in the strong year the team put together.
In addition to a rare trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Horned Frogs tallied a program record of wins in the Big 12 at 11 and finished sixth in the uber-competitive conference. That record included top-10 wins against Iowa State and Texas Tech in Lubbock, albeit after the Red Raiders lost All-American JT Toppin.
Outside of the Big 12, Dixon's latest squad took eventual national champion Michigan down to the wire and notched wins over Florida, who won the SEC Tournament crown, and Wisconsin, which had an impressive season despite an upset loss to High Point in the NCAA Tournament.
While Punch was a major contributor in the success TCU had, the aforementioned trio of Robinson, Harding and Edmonds were all starters alongside him and now have the same experience needed to lead next season's team back to the national spotlight.
The transfer portal that sent Punch packing could be the same avenue for Dixon to find his next star, or at least a piece he can fit into the lineup alongside the veteran triad.
Whether there is a big name replacement or simply a group of Horned Frogs needed to fill Punch's absence, Dixon will assuredly not let the program he once suited up for go under because of the decision of one former player.
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Since getting back to his alma mater, Dixon had exceeded expectations time and time again. And while the anything past the second round of March Madness continues to elude him, he has been at the helm for some of, if not, the most impactful teams in TCU's history.
Look no further than this past season once again to see how Dixon can turn around even the most bleak of circumstances. Before the Horned Frogs racked up those season-defining results, they were stunned by an abysmal New Orleans team.
When many fans and pundits took that loss as an early indication of the season TCU would have, Dixon and company completely flipped the script.
The future may be unclear in Fort Worth but the good news for TCU faithful is the man in charge of the Horned Frogs has shown time and time again he can find diamonds in even the roughest patches.