Former TCU PG Jaylen Fisher lands at GCU

Jaylen Fisher should have been one of the players TCU Basketball built around, but instead the dynamic point guard and knockdown shooter will try and extend his career at a school that tries to look a lot like the one he left.

(That had to be the easiest jersey photoshop in history, right?)

Fisher signed with the Frogs as a four star recruit at the beginning of the Jamie Dixon era, following Ryan Miller who lured the Tennessee native away from a commitment from UNLV when he joined Dixon’s staff. Now, he will play for coach Dan Majerle, one of the most notable athletes in Arizona sports history, who made his Thunder Dan name as a member of the Phoenix Suns during their 90s hey-day.

Fisher’s is a sad story of what might have been; an emotional leader for a TCU program that began its turnaround with the addition of a pair of talented freshman guards in Fisher and Desmond Bane, the 6’2” point guard was limited to just 61 games across three seasons, including just nine last year. A broken wrist cost him the Frogs’ NIT Championship run as a freshman, and knee injuries limited him to just 17 games in 2017-2018. He was averaging 12.1 points and over two assists per game last season before being shutdown with a meniscus tear - at which point TCU Basketball determined that he was no longer medically a viable option for the program.

The Antelopes play in the Western Athletic Conference, where they were 10-6 last year and 20-14 overall. They made the jump to Division I just six years ago, after successful runs at both the NAIA and Division II levels. They have been an upper level program in the WAC since joining, but have yet to win the conference or make the NCAA Tournament.

According to GCU’s Paul Coro, Fisher intends to seek out a waiver for immediate eligibility on the basis of a retroactive redshirt year due to his injury-shortened last season. The point guard claims to be 100% healthy now, and is excited for the opportunity to play one last collegiate season, after initially making himself available for the NBA Draft before electing to withdraw his name. “I really have been thinking about this decision since I left TCU and rehabbed myself to get better. Now that I’m 100 percent, I’m ready to go and see what GCU has in store for me.”

Fisher is one of the most likable players to come through Fort Worth, and was one of the most positive guys on the bench even when dealing with injury. He will certainly be missed in Fort Worth, but this is clearly the best move for all involved. We wish him the best of luck and health as he looks to play out his last year in style.

But we still aren’t cool with GCU trying so hard to look like TCU.