State of the Frogs with Jamie Dixon I Summer Edition
[Music] [Music] welcome back to State of the Frogs with your head coach Jamie Dixon it’s the summer edition for basketball coach thanks for letting us come in for a few minutes to chat with you about what’s going on we’re here at the complex with a little summer camp action going on behind us uh- before we get into the new this year’s team uh real quickly a couple weeks ago you were inducted into the College Hall of Fame excuse me uh for the Southwest Conference what are your thoughts on this any any big celebrations no it was uh it was funny you know who told me uh uh um Jill came in and told me that Jill had told me Jill Kramer and um so it was funny she she uh um you know I pointed out that uh not many of us still around that played in the Southwest Conference probably you did did you no h never made it quite a few years after yes not quite so uh um but yeah know it’s it’s a it’s a there’s a lot of people around here that you know beg for those days back when the Southwest Conference it was it was something i mean why I came from California to uh TCU and not knowing anything about it was the Southwest Conference it was the best conference for football basketball and baseball really it was it was just a whole another level and to think I was going to be playing against Keem Elajuan on my first start my freshman year at 621 150 um was uh was uh pretty amazing to me so I have we all the people around you know I I think that’s part of our challenge is that we we always reflect on those days the older people have been around the the the Southwest Conference when you’re playing against Arkansas Texas A&M uh and SMU and and Texas Tech it was it was it was different you got eight teams from one state and uh and then another team that everybody seemed to be against because it was Arkansas and so it was it was unique there’s no question about it very nice well congrats on that very big deal i know your your humble nature doesn’t allow us to celebrate too much but you played for Jim Killingsworth 83 to 87 that’s when you won all Salvis Conference but before we move on from this topic tell us a little about Killer if you can for those who don’t remember Killer uh Killer yeah no I mean kind of a legend you know he was a legend in California because he won a couple of California State Junior College Championships when junior college was really good especially in California that’s where you got a lot of players a lot of great coaches came out of there so um they saw me playing at Cerrito’s Junior College and uh and I came out here and they gave me a shot gave me a chance and and we weren’t very good my freshman year and Killer was kind of at the end of it uh you know he was older had some health issues our my four years and uh but we got really good as juniors and seniors and won two conference championships with kind of a you know core that just got older got better and brought in a couple junior college guys that that helped us and we all get together you know now still today and uh uh a good group of guys and we get together for uh alumni weekend and uh just saw one of my teammates you know a couple weeks ago in California so um it’s just uh he was hard he was tough on you and it was a different time and uh I always tell the story though he and his final year coaching was the first year of the three-point shot so imagine coaching for like 45 40 years or so and then all of a sudden they put the three-point shot in in your last year it’s like “Hey no no no no stay away from that.” We He wasn’t He didn’t embrace it in in year 40 of coaching so uh that was uh um that was your coaching style mirror mirror his uh I I you know I mean I I there’s probably some principles the games changed so much i mean imagine like we said no three-point shot so you know if you look at watching everybody’s just packed in everybody’s outside you weren’t guarding the three i mean it’s just a completely different game and there’s a They put the shot clock in I think that first year too i think was 45 seconds so uh different so I think the the you know rebounding defense yes but you got to do it a whole whole different way you certainly embraced the three-point shot yeah yeah we uh we we have and I think we can really we’re going to be a much better shooting team a really good shooting team this year and so uh that’s something that we’re it’s a big part of it we’ve got to uh uh be uh the better you are the better your team’s going to be and and uh but inside out is the is the is what we really want to be great at very good so we’re about to embark on your 10th season here at TCU number 10 Big 10 a lot of new faces on this coming up team and you’ve only started just now with first practice and meetings what are your overall thoughts on the new Yeah I mean you know we have six returning guys of scholarship guys and and seven new guys uh so six is a lot to be returning last year we had a whole new group but you know generally that you got they’re younger and so we’re bringing in some older guys who played more college basketball um and that’s you know really the key to college basketball now is experience and um how do you stay old and and as I I use the quote experience is expensive i mean it’s it’s it’s it’s what it is and and so uh um you you got to uh uh you got to find ways to stay old and um I think we did a good job with the seven guys we’re bringing in and I think we got a good core coming back and a little bit more continuity but you know it’s funny uh um you know over over the years P aller teams were known for being old they would say we’re old and it was just retention it was you know you brought in good kids and you developed guys and they got better and they saw you know the the the the plan and and you brought in good people that were good students and and wanted to graduate and and and but now we’re in this whole new world you know where that’s just the messages you know who who who generally has the most resources and and uh uh uh when so it’s a different world but uh at the end of the day when you get them here that’s you can see hey we’re still doing what we do we coach and they’re they’re here they’re a team they become the a bond uh they become a group they come a unit and that that’s what’s fun and and and you see it so yeah the offseason’s different but uh uh we got a good core back and I think we got the right pieces uh to add very nice let’s talk about a few of the new names viani Salachum I believe is how you say it he’s FIU transfer yeah um he’s you know kind of last minute type deal um uh and just felt with some things going we needed some depth and um uh and some some size and we’re we’re veteran big guy right he he’s played some you know and just kind of wanted to get back to Texas last minute in the portal and kind of came out of nowhere for us to be honest with you but uh you know he has got an extra year because of the junior college so now he’s a junior um so you know these things are just happening these strange things occur nowadays but uh um he played at Polola Junior College and so he calls Texas home even though he’s from Cameroon he said he said “Yeah I feel like I’m home now in Texas.” So that was good to see and I think he’s here for the right reasons very good brock Harding um for Mr basketball Illinois Iowa transfer he’s one of your another guard for you yeah a heady point guard top assist guy and we really wanted a true point guard and uh a guy that delivers gets gets off the ball gets it to uh shooters and and a pass first guy and so I think he really fits that and shoots the ball well too and and he’s uh very competitive plays very hard and plays a little bigger than he than he looks and so excited about him there’s a guy you guys call him LT for the reason his name is incredibly hard to pronounce but Oregon State guy that came over here how do you pronounce LT’s first whole name yeah I don’t we haven’t tried that so we uh he’s uh he just got back got here uh just a a unique thing he had to uh uh you know with quarter system at Oregon State so he just finished classes so he just got here practiced today for the first time um got in on the weekend so uh he’s uh yeah we we’re tell we’re going to call you LT and he’s like he goes why and who’s a He’s like another LT in the mix yeah he didn’t he didn’t didn’t he’s from Lithuania so not watching he’s not a big Charger fan so uh um but uh he um uh uh I don’t know if we can still call him LT if if if it’s going to work here but you may be upset about that you you’d be it’s not right it’s not right you can’t call him LT there’s only one way to pronounce his name coach i would too yes there’s only one LT all right all right relax relax jw all right tanner Tulson uh shooter competitive uh a knack around the basket um you know just uh we like him he’s been good in in the week we’ve had and you know he played winning team put up good numbers utah Valley right yeah utah Valley um played against his dad known his dad so uh uh played at BYU dad did and uh we played in a couple tournaments with BYU when I was in college so um way back in the day uh so yeah you know we still got a lot to figure out with these guys but uh that’s what we saw when recruiting member of the all wack tourney team i saw that in second team all conference for a champ for a team that won the regular season champion in the Wack good player good player jaden Pierre from Providence providence we’ve known him for a long time recruited him out of high school and uh big guard right uh he’s plays big he plays bigger and probably is he’s long he’s got he’s physical he’s tough i think we got some physical guards in there and what we need to be uh they need to be because we’re not We’ll be big across pretty is pretty good lineup but our guards are a little smaller um so they’ve got to make up for some things and uh I think he’s a guy that uh is really coachable he’s tough he’s physical he can shoot it he can drive it kind of does everything and uh um I think he’ll be a very good defender for us i saw he was one of the top 40 guards in the country but he’s number one guy out of New Jersey originally which is kind of neat is that right yeah no he was um you know it’s And when I was in pit we had a made a living on New Jersey guards that was that was our thing uh get to get those guys so uh um it’s good to get one again they’re usually a little tougher um Baltimore guys are the guys I like getting we did well with Baltimore guys very nice xavier Edmonds one of the new guys yeah it’s interesting we’ve been recruiting him for it seems like five years almost as a junior sophomore in high school and uh it’s just a loyal kid and kind of stayed with us all the way through and uh top high top junior college player in the country uh went to a a school Bishop Montgomery close by i was a in in my league in in high school and knew the coach coached the leg legendary coach there Coach Mitchell in high school and uh was you know top junior college player in the country i mean you know everybody was recruiting him so uh loyal we were there we were trying to get him come out of high school and um just uh a guy that can really go went to a really good high school stayed there for four years at the same high school really good school and uh um you know was there during COVID and all that stuff so didn’t have the the full normal high school experience there um that most do at Bishop Montgomery and last but not least Kaden Edwards or as everyone around here calls him Bug yeah no it’s it’s I’m trying to get away from calling him Bug but I mean it’s that’s that’s what he when he goes but he’s a he’s a you know he’s a Fort Worth kid now he went to Duncanville and so everybody thinks state player of the year from Duncanville and you know it’s a championship one won uh the the state championship but he’s he’s Fort Worth and and grew up here and his uh um so it’s kind of cool to be honest with you i mean it’s uh there haven’t been a lot of them and certainly not the state player of the year and he’s uh he thinks of himself a for guy he just wanted to go play in the best program he could possibly be and his grandmother worked at the school and so that’s how they’re able to uh he was able to go there but um he uh he’s good lefty plays hard got to get stronger um but uh can really shoot it plays you know averaging 25 so points a game and and playing in the state championship so he’s a top you know top high school guard in the country so really a good get for us wonderful news before we stop calling him Bug know why they call him Bug I don’t actually I I I don’t uh uh we’ll work on that crack team of uh research i’m going to call him Kaden i’ve been putting down Kaden i did when we put down the practice plan we figure it out i started to put bug down and I went no and I went to Kaden i had to think what what is his first name again and then uh I’m going with Kaden so that’s what I’ve been calling him and you mentioned six returning uh veterans uh notably David Punch Micah Robinson and Malik Dio so those are the I guess the most notable yeah guys familiar with and played good minutes as freshman you know i mean obviously we were young last year and everybody knows why i mean the new world and um but uh we were young and and uh but I also think we had a couple guys you know that in in that red shirted and and Ashton who’s played well and and then we’ve got um uh R.J who broke his foot at time last summer last year too so um I I think we’ve got a a pretty you mentioned Jace Micah um uh uh Malik and and Punch so those four guys played pretty good minutes and so we got a little bit more back than some not huge production from uh uh one guy but but a a good uh uh group uh um minutes and and and being around and playing against some good so I I think there’s some experience that that gives it something but they’re all young you know i mean that’s that’s the reality of it too so we’re still a little young you know there there’s reasons for that obviously uh we’re all recruiting the same guys i mean I talk about in this world now it’s all we’re doing is it’s such a short period of time it’s analytics everybody has the same numbers they’re all looking at the same guys and that’s why all recruiting the same guys even more than how it used to be so um that’s where that’s where that’s where it goes and that’s how it is before we go to break coach you had your first meeting your first practice um anything major come out of these first things just basically getting to know everybody and seeing what they got yeah I mean it’s it’s a process and you know no no uh really the main thing we tell them you know what happens is this first practice is not you know starting lineup’s not picked today it’s it’s growth it’s development it’s uh uh long term and u but you know all summer we’re a week already and we get eight in the summer and uh you want to you want to continuing uh to to progress we’ll take a week off that Fourth of July week there and then four more when we come back and in and to finish off July so it’s a um then you get back in the fall so it’s a it’s it’s there seems like there’s time but it’s got to be continuous growth and improvement we’ll be right back with State of the Frogs your head coach Jamie Dixon with the summer basketball edition energy does everything for us it’s all-encompassing we’re all benefiting and affected from it and it is something that we all need to know about it is the glue that holds everything together tcu is powering what matters our future we don’t just talk about what’s needed we focus on results the Ralph Low Energy Institute is creating a world where energy is affordable sustainable and reliable welcome back to State of the Frogs with your head coach Jamie Dixon summer basketball edition coach uh I know you’re tired of talking about everybody’s tired of talking about but finally it’s here the school now owns the the the rights to these guys as far as paying them uh can you speak to that so those who aren’t familiar can kind of get a gist of what how this works yeah no it’s it’s a it’s a settlement you know that’s everybody’s been waiting on it’s it’s it caused some uh uh the delay has caused some issues but you know hopefully it’s stronger because of the extra work and and uh time that was put into it and and and I know all the administrators that I’ve talked to really hope this this is something that stays in place and and and and keep some some some parody and uh that you know they’re not uh um the all the issues that come with it whether it be you know coaches all coaches going to the same people and trying to raise money and the the prices the numbers how they went up so um there’s all kinds of questions there’s still a lot of uncertainty going forward here but um this does give you a framework and then we’ll see how they interpret all the other uh rules but um you know it’s uh certainly not what we uh uh signed up for uh you know 35 years ago I started coaching but even just a couple years ago when I decided to come to TCU there’s there’s there’s there’s challenges now there’s new challenges and uh you just kind of uh adapt to it and and and do the right things and be be a be a good person and and try to be a team player within the uh uh athletic department and uh and and be supportive of of everything because tough decisions are having to be made there there’s there’s no question there’s priorities there’s things that are uh need to to go and you know my as a as a as a uh you know we we’ve always been put so much into all the sports resources wise it’s just the you know the the the you just I think that’s what made you uh um TCU so unique um but um we’re in a whole new world now and so uh it’s interesting to see what how this thing will all play out imagine back in your in your prior years of coaching before this you couldn’t imagine this ever happening now that it is has it made your life exponentially harder is it just something you have to deal with now i mean yeah I don’t know it’s not going to complain nobody’s uh not complaining you know I think it’s good that that people know the uh the challenges and that each uh uh sport or or school might have but uh it’s just just educating letting people know and uh but I I’m I’m never going to call it hard i don’t want anybody sure don’t need to feel sorry for us and and uh what we’re doing we’re doing what we love to do and and I’m lucky to be here this is where I wanted to be and this is what I wanted to do so uh wouldn’t do much good to complain so understood i’ll let you uh do that do that as a as a commentator and uh the mic would you uh so um with all that being said you you the does the NIL still exist in the Cassie where people can can put give money to to the student athletes does that still exist in the way that it was i think we’ll see i think that the the the hope is the the the the what what the administrators are saying and what the uh um uh what the uh uh and the settlement says is you know it’s it’s needs to be true NIL and and we’ll see what that plays out with Deoid and I saw they just hired the guy from uh that’s going to be in charge of overseeing that thing the Major League Baseball uh uh from from there I don’t I don’t know of him but uh um so I mean we’re in a whole new world I And you know everybody asks like you know who knows who understands who has experience in this well no one does because we’re in a unique situation but you know the the reality is um some might call it a NBA or an NFL like but really there’s it’s not there’s no restrictions what we’re dealing with now there’s no um you know draft picks you know to balance things out it’s strictly you know the reality is who has more and uh that’s what we’ve been operating under the last uh 3 four years and you know it’s uh there’s there’s ways but when the got the separation gets more and uh and and in our league uh you know basketball is is is the prior men’s basketball has been the priority it has been we’ve been the best SEC got us last year as far as uh uh what they became and their commitment went to a whole another level we’re going to see if we can get back into that best pro best conference in the country so uh we’ve got work work to do and it’s it’s it’s upon every one of us to find ways to to get it done no matter the the situation the setup the the resources fair last question and then we’ll move on to the future um this story came out a few weeks ago or months ago Scott Drews Baylor team how the entire roster from last year’s team is now gone yeah and you have all these new guys that’s kind of the way it’s it’s going to be now for in all intents and purposes yeah i mean I think you know I mean like I said there’s no there’s no three-year contracts four-year contracts the NBA baseball is like you know my son’s working for the Pirates now Jack who who worked with you uh back in the day and you know at least the Pirates they got Paul Ske for at least four years or so you know I mean like they got the best pitcher in baseball uh they get draft they get the first pick in the draft they could sign him you know sign him for four years and and uh u that’s that’s not how it works in the in in what we’ve got right now so um you know they’re they’re figuring it out uh we’ll see how it plays out but we know lawsuits are coming and uh um you know there’s a there’s a we’re in a situation where kids are going to do whatever they can to to play eight nine years of college college athletics so uh it’s and old wins old wins so uh they’re going to say that they’re not for it until they can get somebody no matter the circumstances no matter their past history no matter what charges or uh they’re going to find a way to get that older kid on the floor whatever it may be or on the field or whatever it may be so um you know you got to make decisions bring the right people in and and uh and hope you can do the right things so uh you still I think at the end of the day still doing the right things is most important i think how we represent TCU is the most important thing we never want to embarrass the university well I’m glad we can still teach old dogs new tricks with this NIL stuff congrats on managing that we’re all excited to see no they you know obviously the money changed and players deserve to be paid it’s just I think there’s uh we all wish we knew what the the rules were fair enough all right we’ll be right back with State of the Frogs with your head coach Jamie Dixon with summer edition basketball welcome to the Squire Shop we are locally owned and operated since 1994 we specialize in the finest men’s clothing that the market has to offer at affordable prices with unbelievable service we do uh custom clothing all the way to more casual Peter Malar Johnny O kind of everything well my dad’s the owner so I’ve been around retail my whole life oh it’s great i mean it’s best boss I’ll ever have i know that we love our TCU community they have been so good to us come see us today go Frogs welcome back to State of the Frogs with your head coach Jamie Dixon our basketball summer edition coach uh schedule for next year let’s talk about that real quick yeah working on it still uh you know as with the as you say adding guys in the summer and putting the team together and then the schedules are gone even later and later um we know who we’re playing in conference we just found that out the other day is that out there publicly was that announced i’m not I don’t think Yeah so who we’re playing twice so I guess I won’t say it uh but uh uh and then you know with the we’re going to 18 game conference schedule so we were 20 last year for a year sec goes to 18 all of a sudden they have the great year um and then we went to 20 so it it’s funny how that all worked out i don’t think that was a big impact on on what happened to us being surpassed as being the number one conference in basketball men’s basketball for the last decade the decade I’ve been here um but coincidence that that so we went to 18 um we will play uh one team uh three teams twice and then everybody else won so that gives you the 18 games and then we’re figuring out we’ve uh obviously got that return game michigan’s coming to our place we’re in they’re a top team they’re they’re getting the best transfers in the country uh they’re really all in up there um we’ve got tournament we’re playing in is best tournament in the country I would say of four team uh field probably the best team best tournament in the country in San Diego uh so right there’s what you want to know we got obviously Florida’s in there they’re pretty good uh the the rumors on their uh numbers and and roster for this year is is uh uh they’re making a concerted effort to be good again um and then Wisconsin’s in there too as well as Providence so you know we’re still working on a couple other games here or two as well and uh uh but certainly we’ll have a another top 20 uh uh schedule in the country out of 364 teams that are fighting to be in the NCA tournament it’s very exciting coach um summer schedule for you guys and the team yeah eight weeks uh Fourth of July week kind of take that as a little break break it up um so we get eight to in our nine weeks of summer school is what I how I kind of break it up every kind of everybody has a different calendar but that’s kind of how ours works out um going this week uh went last week um kind of going to get everybody here in the as to to the end of this week with like I said a couple transfers guys come from different schools uh some health had some guys out but looking forward to it you know again uh we’ll we’ll go five on five we’re working at 7 in the morning um we got camps going on we’ll Thomas Molly does a great job the cams we’ve been sold out 300 kids uh a week um that we’ve had the last couple years it’s great they they have a great time with it um recruiting go out on the road recruiting that’s what So it’s generally practice Monday to Thursday and then we go on the road recruiting Friday Saturday Sunday is is generally what we do uh and that’s what June and July is about so um uh you got a lot of coaches like uh uh there’s work life balance work life balance is like well I’m uh after 35 years I don’t know what that I don’t I I don’t know that phrase still exists in the in in my household well since you and I were both athletes once upon a time uh we were we were summertime and how that works what kind of rules i’m just curious what kind of rules do you have in place for the guys to keep them kind of reign in if you will just keep them keep them uh doing the right thing do you have any rules in place for these guys oh rules i mean we we talk about doing the right thing we use that phrase and and uh looking out for your teammates being smart you know we don’t again embarrass do want to embarrass the university it’s means more to me than maybe uh some other coaches or or guy kids here but we do have to recognize these kids are here for a year or two i mean you have kids that will uh in this world that we’re living in you know graduate students that may never even step foot on campus you know and or four-year students and and again we’re a little different because we don’t have online courses for graduate for undergrad students so um but you know we we we we want to win yes but we want to do it the right way and and uh we don’t want anybody that’s embarrassed i mean uh how they treat other students um you know I I I talk all the time about uh doing the right things and and uh there’s free time in the summer so we try to keep them occupied with with different things but you know this is um this is a special place and and this is a unique place i mean I talk to I I speak to our team all the time how they treat uh um people students girls this is a school that’s twothirds female i mean like that we exist because of the the the female uh uh population and I never noticed that coach i was here for the books exactly but so I mean we’re we’re uh I speak to our boys about constantly how you treat uh uh um students girls uh teachers faculty and and and doing the right thing so you know we’re not perfect but we we we never want to embarrass the university well you’ve always been really good about that and you always had some really high caliber we do we have a very good good group this year again any summer plans for yourself and your wife um golf you know I like golf as much as uh you no um uh you know it’s you fit in a couple things we’re going to um uh we’re doing a memorial for my parents my mom passed away a couple weeks ago so uh and um we’re going to have them buried with Maggie up in West Point so very nice you just asked that and I was just working on that yesterday so um we’ve got it finalized so that was their wish and so uh they just passed my dad passed away this past year too so uh we’ll I’ll be up at West Point for uh August 8th well thank you for sharing that yeah as coach as a AD Mike Buddy since has a little army background has that come up in Oh yeah no he knows we we uh we knew each other before because of Maggie and doing some things up at West Point and and uh um he was involved in uh um he was aware of us uh my parents wishes to be buried with Maggie up there so very nice how how you how’s your relationship with with AD buddy going uh great oh great um uh so yeah no he we I mean obviously you’ve known each other from then from from West Point and it’s a special place for us and our family and uh um so um he’s uh um I know they had a welcoming uh party for uh uh uh for them when when when they got here and Tracy the other day and and uh so all the girls got together and with my wife and my wife Jacqueline was there so yeah it’s great and I think they’re very excited about being here in Fort Worth very nice well coach thanks for the time i’ll let you get back to these six to 10 year olds behind us they probably have some some kids you need to be looking at for the future so that has been another edition of State of the Frogs with your head coach Jamie Dixon this is our summer basketball edition we’ll see you next time [Music] [Music] roxo Media House
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