TCU basketball: Miller, Baugh make NBA Draft decisions

TCU finally learned the NBA Draft decisions of stars Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh late Wednesday night.

Miller will return to Fort Worth for another season, while Baugh will remain in the draft, a source confirmed to the Star-Telegram Thursday morning. The deadline to withdraw from the draft was 10:59 p.m. Wednesday night.

Miller was a key cog in last season’s NCAA Tournament team, averaging 12.3 points per game, 6.5 rebounds while shooting a career-high 39% from 3. Miller was viewed as the team’s best offensive rebounder and should be one of the top two-way players in the Big 12.

Baugh’s decision to remain in the draft was not surprising. Baugh almost stayed in the draft last season before returning. He had his best season with a career-high in points (12.6 ppg) and assists (5.8) while still remaining an elite on-ball defender.

He joins Mike Miles Jr. as Horned Frogs hoping to make the NBA.

With Miller returning, there’s aclearer picture of how the Horned Frogs could look next season. Here’s a quick refresher on who’s returning and who is leaving:

Returnees

Emanuel Miller

Micah Peavy

Chuck O’Bannon

JaKobe Coles

Xavier Cork

Incoming transfers and freshmen

Delaware guard Jameer Nelson Jr.

Kansas center Ernest Udeh

Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III

Texas A&M Corpus Christi guard Trevian Tennyson

Coastal Carolina forward Essam Mostafa

Mansfield Legacy forward Isaiah Manning

Strake Jesuit wing Jace Posey

Outgoing players

Guard Mike Miles Jr. (NBA)

Guard Damion Baugh (NBA)

Center Eddie Lampkin Jr. (Colorado)

Guard P.J. Haggerty (Tulsa)

Guard Shahada Wells (McNeese State)

Guard Rondel Walker

Center Souleymane Doumbia

Breakdown

Despite losing Miles and Baugh to the draft, there’s no question that the Horned Frogs have had a successful offseason. TCU’s transfer portal class is ranked No. 3 in the country behind Kansas and West Virginia according to 247Sports.

With Nelson, TCU found a guard that should be able to step in and fill the scoring void left by Miles. Anderson’s recruitment was directly tied to Baugh’s decision and the tough-minded guard was a starter for Oklahoma State the last three seasons.

Udeh and Mostafa are a talent upgrade in the front court and Udeh in particular projects to be a shot blocker TCU didn’t have consistently last season. In fact here’s what a potential starting lineup could look like:

Point guard: Nelson

Shooting guard: Anderson

Small forward: Micah Peavy

Power forward: Miller

Center: Udeh

If Udeh plays like the All-American he was in high school, then this could be a potent lineup that also features a bench led by Tennyson, Mostafa, Chuck O’Bannon, JaKobe Coles and Xavier Cork. That’s a deep, experienced team.

TCU should also have another scholarship to play with as well and could add a secondary ballhandler to come off the bench. Based on how the roster looks like right, TCU looks like a NCAA tournament team.