Men

Guards: B-
The backcourt play for the Frogs was the most consistent component of the team throughout the year. Guard Junior Blount led the team in scoring with 19.5 points a game. Blount was the leading scorer in Conference USA in league play. Blount often led the team on his shoulders scoring 40 points with ease on some nights, but the Horned Frogs relied too much on him causing him to shoot ill-advised shots. Freshman Corey Santee had a roller coaster of a season. Starting strong then falling deeper on the depth chart, Santee — playing at the point and shooting guard spot— finished the regular season on a positive note when he hit the game winner against East Carolina March 2.

FILE PHOTO Junior forward Bingo Merriex was bothered by an early-season ankle injury which made it difficult for him to get back on track all season. Merriex and the other forwards have been inconsistent for the team for the majority of the season.

Forwards: C-
The frontcourt players tried to find their niche all season long, but that search still continues. Forwards Bingo Merriex and Jamal Brown saw the majority of the time. The underachieving Merriex finished with 12.7 points a game and made some clutch shots for the Frogs, but nagging injuries and a lack of consistency haunted him the entire season. Brown, who led the team in double-doubles, finished with an average of 10 points a game and nine rebounds a contest. Redshirt-freshman Corey Valsin and senior Colin Boddicker earned some minutes, but could not add anything substantial for the Frogs.

Center: D-
Big men Marlon Dumont and Rebel Paulk were usually the smaller ones when facing other teams in C-USA. The Horned Frog interior game was exploited both on the offensive and defensive ends. Dumont would have a spectacular dunk on seldom occasions, but the norm was for him to be out-hustled and caught playing poor defense. Paulk had some shining moments late in the season, but that was a bit too late.

Bench: C-
Tubbs tried to mix the starting lineups frequently throughout the season, so every player on the team had a chance to come off the bench. Santee was used as the Sixth Man toward the end of the season. He began to get accustomed to that role and responded well by providing leadership and solid play when the starters rested. On the whole, the reserves were not used as much because the Frogs would get behind early in games giving the starters more minutes to try to comeback and cut into the scoring deficit.

Coach: C
In Billy Tubbs final season at TCU, he kept the team poised and tried to keep the distraction of his departure on the backburner. Unfortunately, Tubbs’ mantra of the run-and-gun style of play couldn’t keep pace with the “quicker and stronger” C-USA opponents since the Frogs finished a dismal 6-10 in league play. Tubbs entered the season with nothing to lose, but he didn’t let that mentality affect his coaching. The assistant coaches, who were absent from the bench during some games, didn’t add much this year as all three were off exploring their options of finding a job for next season.

Overall: C-
Even though TCU defeated a NCAA Tournament team — Creighton, there was not much else for this team to brag about this season. With only one senior who contributed to the team (Dumont), the Frogs will have the same team returning if players don’t transfer after a new head coach is hired. Throughout the season the team used its unfamiliarity to C-USA as the main reason for the team’s failure. But it was more than just “not knowing.” This year’s team did not have much talent, much determination or any luck on its side considering its final record (16-15, 6-10 C-USA) and quick first round exit from the C-USA Tournament.

— Ram Luthra, Sports Editor

Women

Guards: B-
Senior guard Ashanti Nix stepped up this season as the team’s primary point guard. She anchored the team to its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Nix led the team with 79 steals, averaging 2.5 a game and 105 assists, averaging 3.4 a game. Sophomore guard Ebony Shaw was one of the team’s best defensive players as she usually matched up against the opponents’ best scorers. She also gave the team another option on the offensive end as she averaged 8.6 points a game. With next year’s return of senior guard Tricia Payne, who suffered a knee injury in the team’s first practice of the season, this position will get even stronger next season.

Forwards: A-
Senior Kati Safaritova led the Frogs in scoring for the second year in a row with 13.9 points a game this season. She also stepped up her play when her team needed her most. Safaritova netted 24 points in the team’s loss against Duke. Sophomore Tiffany Evans, who is already the TCU career leader in blocked shots with 92, played well after an early season slump. Beginning in February, Evans was the leading scorer in four out of eight games. But even when she didn’t score, she was invaluable on defense. She also led the team in minutes played with 28.8 a game.

Center: A
Instead of having two forwards and a center, TCU played three forwards with all of them seeing time in the center position. Freshman Sandora Irvin came the closest to being a true center. Irvin posted a remarkable freshman year and is on her way to being the best player to ever flaunt a TCU jersey. She was named to the Conference USA All-Freshmen Team. In only her 15th game, Irvin smashed the single season record for blocks at TCU. She ended the season with a total of 85 blocks. Irvin also led the team in rebounds with 294 averaging 9.5 a game and was second in scoring with 10.8 points a game.

Bench: B+
In her first season as a Frog, junior Grace Gantt was voted C-USA Sixth Player of the Year. When the Frogs played Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Gantt came off the bench and scored 11 points. She was tied for third in scoring with 8.6 points a game. Freshmen Ashley Browning and Niki Newton also provided critical minutes off the bench for the Frogs. Both will be even more valuable next season.

Simon Lopez/SKIFF STAFF The Lady Frogs sing the alma mater after a win at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The team found much success at home with a 12-2 mark on the season. The loses came against Brigham Young (Dec. 22) and conference-foe Tulane (Feb. 10).

Coaches: A
TCU lost senior guard Tricia Payne for the season with a knee injury before the season even began and faced off against 13 C-USA teams it had never played before, but head coach Jeff Mittie was ready for the challenge. His team included eight new faces, five of which were freshmen, but that didn’t stop him from setting high expectations. In only his third season at TCU, Mittie has led the Frogs to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments. He won C-USA Coach of the Year this season, and last year he notched Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Overall: A
The Frogs posted a season that anyone would proud of. Despite not reaching their goal of advancing further in the tournament than last season, the Frogs put up an impressive fight against the top seeded Duke. The Frogs play some of the best defense in country the only thing holding them back is a consistent offense.

— Nathan Loewen, Assistant Sports Editor