In the aftermath of his team’s 81-69 victory over Illinois State on Tuesday at Schollmaier Arena, TCU basketball coach Jamie Dixon noted that seven games into this season he figured his team would be better offensively.
The Horned Frogs didn’t shoot it that great against the Redbirds from Normal, Illinois, 29 percent from that area of the floor better known as, in the parlance of our day, 3-point land.
“It’s trending,” Dixon said of those shooting troubles. “We’ve got to get that fixed.”
As a team, the Frogs entered Tuesday’s game shooting 44% from the field. That was 176thin the nation. They actually shot it a little better than that against the Redbirds.
A big part of improving from the field is getting better shots and getting the ball into the hands of TCU’s best shooters, most notably Desmond Bane, this team’s best stroke.
“Desmond has got to get more shots,” Dixon said of Bane, who had a game-high 23 points. “There’s a reason our percentage is where it’s at. We’ve got to get better offensively. I thought we’d be better offensively than we are right now and we’re not.”
Now, coaches don’t lament these types of things because they know the season is a … process.
The scholars in our university history departments will one day reflect on the sports played in this age as the “Era of the Process.” Unless, of course, the climate change doomsdayers’ predictions of catastrophic misfortune are more accurate than a weather forecast, in which case we got bigger problems than making shots.
But, anyway, ask a coach or player about anything associated with his particular sport and at least part of the answer will be something about “the process.” By God, you got to focus and follow the process with the same mental acuity that grandmaster Bobby Fischer did a Communist chessboard or a faith healer does on gout.
So, it shouldn’t surprise, as we consider TCU’s early season struggles on offense, the Frogs’ Andre the Giant-sized task of replacing point guard Alex Robinson is a … process.
The Horned Frogs are evolving at that spot, and that’s a big reason why they’re evolving on offense.
Two guys, senior Edric Dennis, a graduate transfer from UT Arlington, and freshman Francisco Farabello are trying to fill very big shoes.
“We’ve got to get them older quicker and prepare them better,” Dixon said. “Grow them up a little quicker. That’s what we’re working on.
“It’s two new guys. It is what it is.”
Together, Dixon noted positively, they were a combined 6-to-3 on assist-to-turnovers, a good statistic, on Tuesday.
Neither shot it well, going a combined 1 for 7.
That, Dixon said, “ain’t getting it done.” Defensively, “good, not great.”
Yet, he is far from down on them.
“I thought Francisco was solid and didn’t hurt us defensively. Ed’s just got to continue to defend. He’s been good doing that.”
The best teams are very good at that position. They are guys who take the lead in controlling and making the most of possessions. They see the floor, direct traffic, take care of the ball and create shots.
The are their team’s efficiency engineers, making sure the right guys get their hands on the ball and in good position to score.
As a junior at UTA, the 6-foot-3 Dennis, a native of Dallas who played at DeSoto High School, averaged 14.3 points and 2.3 assists per game in 19 starts. Farabello, 6-2, is a native Argentinian but who has played all over the world, including the NBA Global Academy in Australia.
He can shoot it, but at this point isn’t the defender or creator he likely will be as he adjusts to the college game in America.
He admitted last week, he’s not playing in the FIBA Under 19 World Cup anymore.
“For sure, it’s much more athletic,” Farabello said of his new basketball environs. “Much more physical.”
The Frogs, now 6-1, will give Fort Worth’s new Dickies Arena a basketball christening on Friday against Southern California.
It’s also one of four more opportunities for seasoning a very important position. The Frogs don’t want to be under water at point guard when Iowa State rolls into town on Jan. 4.
(Photo: TCU Athletics)
