TCU News: Janczak’s journey, Hoops looks to end 30 year sweep drought

Basketball:

TCU hopes 30-year wait ends Saturday against Baylor | The Star-Telegram

30 years between sweeps? Time for a change.

TCU (19-9, 7-8) is healthy after going through a stretch in which the team often was relegated to two scholarship players available off the bench. Shawn Olden and Ahmed Hamdy have rebounded from injuries and are providing depth down the stretch.

”We’ve had our setbacks and we’re not the team we thought we’d be but we now have a nice rotation,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said.

”Every opponent, every game is a chance to get better.”

Dixon said he is hoping the rough stretch is behind them and that experience has toughened his team for the postseason. The defense has improved despite the excessive playing time for the small rotation of players. Kenrich Williams is second in the Big 12 in average minutes played with 38.1 per game. Only Kansas’ Devonte Graham averages more in the league games.

Baseball:

How TCU’s Jared Janczak turned a startling message into a stunning career | The Star-Telegram

I had no idea JJ was so close to leaving TCU, but it’s no wonder he has been so successful since making that decision. He didn’t just believe in himself; he worked his tail off.

“Be careful what question you ask because we’re going to give you the answer,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m a believer that a player should always know where he stands, at least in the eyes of the coaching staff, what we truly think about them, what he has to get better at, what his strengths are.”

Indirectly, however, that meeting provided Janczak plenty of motivation.

”They like to push you and see what you give back,” he said. “The only way you can grow is outside of your comfort zone. I think they helped push me in that direction. I had something to prove because if I didn’t make the team that year I was probably going to have to transfer. Even to this day, I still have that redshirt mentality. You have to go out and earn it.”

Football:

Which Big 12 team has the most questions to answer this spring? | Sports Day

Weird to be thinking about football again already, but the spring game will be here before you know it.

Carlton: I don’t know if there is just one team. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech are all replacing very productive quarterbacks, for starters. Texas has to replace three defensive standouts in Malik Jefferson, DeShon Elliott and Holton Hill as well as field-position machine Michael Dickson. Actually, this offseason may have more uncertainty at more schools than anytime in recent Big 12 history.