The Horned Frogs could never seem to catch any momentum throughout last year.  They would win a couple and then lose a bunch.  They just never put it together until a three game winning streak midway through the year that had the boys in Dallas thinking basketball for a second.  But only for a second as things dropped back to normal after that.  Just kidding nobody in Dallas ever thinks about anything but the Cowboys.  And besides this team is from Fort Worth, not Dallas.  Long time Coach and former player (like in the real old days with covered wagons and stuff) Buster Brannom has a senior oriented team (especially up front) entering this new season. George McLeod, Ronny Stevenson, Mickey McCarty and the legendary James Cash all will be returning and will battle for playing time like they did last year behind the starters. Dick O’Neal and H. E. Kirchner are the incumbents and bring some real size to the front line battles in their last year in SWC. These guys are legends here but times change and with the wind changing in the south quickly you have to change with it. Have no idea why those boys down in Austin did not include this University with their solid history in both major sports and more importantly is located in a huge Metropolitan area.  I mean not to include either acronym school from the Big D area is almost negligent just for the TV ratings alone.  Never mind the recruiting as this program (as well as SMU) get most of their talent from the great DFW area and no we are not referring to them coming in through that huge airport.  TCU may not have the talent of the teams down south but they have competed quite well. There is one last rodeo to ride for this group and they promise to give those Longhorns a good ride out the shoots.   

Maybe the most talented low post player is Junior forward Goo Kennedy.  Kennedy has all the skills to be a superb player.  He can score from the post, defend and rebound.  The problem is that he is only six five and more importantly did not become eligible until half the season was gone.  He never broke into the starting lineup but was effective off the bench.  He played more at the three then the four as this team has players up front and need more wings.  He will have a full year here and Coach Brannon is glad to have him around. 

The backcourt for the Horned Frogs is not as talented as the front line and that front line is not exactly Kansas.  Sophomore Darrell Browder and senior Bobby Tyler took over the starting jobs early on and never relinquished mainly due to a lack of competition.  These are ok players who play well together but have a hard time against more athletic players.  Browder is a good offensive player who can hit jump shots but has a hard time guarding bigger shooting guards. Tyler is the point and can pass but does not look for his own shot and is really not that effective scoring.  He can defend and he is popular with the fans especially with that name that feels like an ultra-quick point guard which he is.  Browder was a huge recruit for Killingsworth coming from Fort Worth (many players on this roster are hometown kids but not at the level or need of Browder). He is 6’1 and can score and is best getting to the hoop and causing havoc. This duo is not exactly chopped liver but they are not Filet Minot either so Brannon is looking to upgrade or move things around. Rumors are that Browder might move to the point and open up the two guard for some bigger teammates. Sophomore Carvin Holcombe is the likely candidate to start next to Browder as he goes 6’5.  He was the best off the bench last year for the Horned Frogs and does have some talent on the wing but is not a consistent shooter.  His athleticism though will get him plenty of minutes. Fellow sophomore Dennis Nutt can stroke it but does not defend well and is small.  He is more of a point then a two guard but this team needs shooters.  A whole group of juco recruits is coming in to challenge for time including junior Simpson DeGrate who is a solid combo forward.  Also flying to Fort Worth will be athletic Carl Lott on the wing and Duquesne transfer Doug Arnold who is also a combo forward.  Both are second year guys and will push for time as Brannon understands that this might not just be his last year in the SWC.  This might be his last year in Fort Worth if the team does not improve drastically as the admin has made it clear they are ready to start fresh with both money-making programs once they find a new league to join. 

The Texas Christian Horned Frogs had a rough season in the Southwest Conference.  They will be going through a transition with Coach Buster Brannon trying to bring his beloved alma mater into the 21sat century. With the recent news that this program will not be joining four of their Lone Star brethren as they form a new 12 team league with the Big 8.  You do the math and guess what they are going to call this new league. Brannon has some big-time new recruits and believes his Frogs are ready to make a huge leap up the SWC leaderboard.  One for the road seems like a nice slogan for their last year in the SWC and as they say in that bar in Boston ‘turn the lights off when you leave!’