After breaking NCAA tournament drought, TCU brings in a class full of big men

We continue our recruit and return series with the TCU Horned Frogs, whose season ended Friday with a loss to Syracuse. Here is a look at what the 2018-19 season could hold:

Possible 2018-19 starting five:

G Jaylen Fisher

G Alex Robinson

G Desmond Bane

F Kouat Noi

C Yuat Alok

Who is lost: Two Horned Frogs starters will move on, seniors Kenrich Williams (All-Big 12 second-team selection) and leading scorer Vladimir Brodziansky. Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed, a 6-foot-10 forward who averaged 13 minutes off the bench, also is gone.

Who is added: Jamie Dixon is bringing in five players, four of whom signed in the early period. Kaden Archie, an ESPN 100 small forward from Midlothian, Texas, leads the group and will bring versatility on the wing. Four-star point guard Kendric Davis from Houston joins Archie in the backcourt, and the rest of the class is all about size. Dixon adds three big men in 6-foot-8 Russell Barlow, a four-star center, and a pair of 6-foot-11 big men from New Zealand, high schooler Angus McWilliam (who is already on campus) and junior college product Yuat Alok (who committed in January and can sign in April). Alok, ranked as one of the top juco prospects nationally, is intriguing, with size and shooting range.



What it means for next season: The biggest addition will be that of one returnee, point guard Jaylen Fisher. The sophomore was averaging 12 points and five assists in 35 minutes per game before a torn meniscus in his right knee ended his season in mid-January. The combination of Fisher, Robinson and Bane in the backcourt gives TCU experience, ball handlers and athleticism. A handful of redshirts, RJ Nembhard, Lat Mayen and Kevin Samuel, will join the lineup as well. Dixon looks to have a deeper pool of talent next season than he did in this one.

Trending: Up. The Horned Frogs went 9-9 in a rugged conference and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years. The team battled depth issues throughout the season, but next season this team should be deeper. Dixon has this program on the right track.