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Off to a sensational start in his sophomore year, TCU guard Desmond Bane is receiving praise on a national level, including being named one of college basketball’s most exciting players by ESPN.
Bane, who is averaging 13.2 points through the first ten games of the season, is coming off of a strong finish as a freshman, where he helped seal a win over Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament as well as took a more prominent role in the Frogs’ NIT Championship run after point guard Jaylen Fisher was injured.
Shooting over 63% from the field, Bane has drained 24 of his 43 attempts from long range, pulled down an average of 3.2 rebounds per game, dished out 20 assists, and swiped ten steals. TCU Head Coach Jamie Dixon has said after nearly ever game his team has played this year that they need to find more shots for his rising star, as Bane’s unselfish nature keeps him from dominating the ball.
Regarding Bane, ESPN’s Myron Medcalf says:
Jamie Dixon's TCU squad features one of college basketball's most interesting talents. Entering the week, Bane, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, had connected on 56 percent of his 3-point attempts, good for 23rd in the nation. He's taking 4.3 per game, more than double last season's rate. And he is shooting some of them from Waco, Dallas and Lubbock. If you're into hot hands, check out Bane, who is one of America's top marksmen right now.
There are few players that can electrify the Scholly quite like D Bane, who has already had several streaks of three and four straight buckets from three point range. As he improves his ball-handling and his defense, he becomes a more intriguing pro prospect, as well as solidifying himself as a true linchpin of a TCU team that has big goals for March. Bane has also taken more of a leadership role in his second year on campus, both in his effort and vocally. And with Alex Robinson being sidelined twice already due to injury, his leadership and contribution have been needed more than ever.
Joining Bane on the list from the Big 12 is freshman guard Trae Young out of Oklahoma and Lindell Wiggington of Iowa State via Canada. You can check out the entire list here.