Trent Johnson Adds a BIG Man

Trent Johnson has not been resting on his laurels, as he works to replace the production of three seniors and the recently departed Charles Hill. The most recent addition? A 6'10" forward out of Pratt Community College (Pratt, Kansas) by the name of Vladimir Brodziansky. Brodziansky (he's going to need a nickname if we are writing about him a lot - that's a bunch of letters) will have three years of eligibility left when he enters TCU, and chose the Frogs over Oklahoma State, Gonzaga, and Rutgers. He appeared to be poised to sign with the Scarlet Knights, but a late push by TJ and company swayed him late.

Vlad (I'm just going to call him that) was a stud for Pratt - he was a second team All Conference performer and an honorable mention All-Region player as a freshman, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds a game. He shot the ball at a close to 60% clip, and even hit on 36% of his three point attempts. The native Slovakian is a bit on the thin side at only 225 pounds, but shows a soft touch around the rim and really good instinct defensively.

Eric Bossi of Rivals.com had this to say about Vlad in the fall: "Probably the most skilled post player to take the floor on Sunday was Pratt Community College's freshman big man Vladimir Brodziansky. He is thin, but at 6-foot-10 he has great touch, good range on his shot and a nice assortment of scoring moves around the post thanks to good footwork. The native of Slovakia is a qualifier who could head off to a Division One program next year with three years of eligibility. Based on what Rivals.com saw on Sunday, he is good enough to warrant attention from high majors."

Brodziansky is the fourth member of the class of 2015 for Trent Johnson - all four rated as three star players - joining Malique Trent, Lyrik Shreiner, and Jalon Miller. With Hill's scholarship slot opening up, don't be surprised to see TJ and co make one more move - hopefully with the signing of Chris Boucher.

Vlad made his announcement over twitter - his first tweet! - and it was also reported by Brad Winton of @JucoRecruiting. He could be an absolute steal for TCU, and with three years to develop, be a cornerstone for the program for several years to come. His scoring inside next to Karviar Shepard's imposing presence should make for a formidable 1-2 punch, and form a solid defense in the paint in time. TCU gets one step closer to being a true contender in the Big 12, and if Boucher signs? The Frogs could be the biggest surprise in the country come tournament time.

Here are some highlights of the big guy in action: