Frogs Future Looks Bright Under Watch of Christian
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2009
TCU Men's Basketball - Season Review 
Two Frogs Earn All-Conference Laurels
• Kevin Langford was selected as a second team All-Mountain West Conference award winner while Zvonko Buljan garnered honorable mention accolades. This was the third time that Langford was awarded with all-conference recognition after earning third team laurels as a junior and honorable mention accolades as a sophomore.
Hometown Talent
• A mainstay in the TCU rotation in his three seasons, Kevin Langford was a starter in 91 consecutive games and posted a double-digit scoring performance in 66 of those contests (20 - Sr. | 24 - Jr. | 22 - So.). The TCU forward concludes his tenure ranked sixth in the Frogs' record books for career games started.
• Langford collected a career-high 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots (including the game winner) and one steal in 36 minutes in TCU's 79-78 overtime victory over Wyoming on January 21st.
• Langford ranks second on the all-time free throws made (414) and third in free throw attempts (599) in the TCU record books. The 6-8 forward became only the third player in program to surpass the 400 free throws made for his career. Langford also finished fifth in the conference standings in career free throws made.
• Langford became the 15th player in program history to post over 1,200 career points for the Frogs on February 28th and concluded his career ranked 14th in the all-time TCU record books with 1,227 career points. The TCU forward became one of 10 players to reach the 1,200-point milestone in three full seasons.
• For his career, Langford has scored 1,293 points after collecting 66 points during his freshman campaign at the University of California. That season, Langford appeared in 26 games, including three trips to the starting rotation.
Tuffy Times
• TCU newcomer Ronnie "Tuffy" Moss originally signed with Kent State, but was granted his release and signed with the Frogs after Christian was announced as the new head men's basketball coach for the Purple and White.
• Moss became only the fourth freshman this decade to earn a spot in the starting rotation in his debut game with the Frogs joining Mike Scott (2007-08), Femi Ibikunle (2003-04) and Corey Santee (2001-02). The Fort Worth product became the first freshman since Chudi Chinweze in 2002-03 to score 20 or more points in a conference game after he collected a career-high 22 points at home versus San Diego State on February 28th.
• The Fort Worth standout proved to be an offensive threat for the Frogs this season as Moss is ranked third on the team in scoring average (10.2 P-G). The 6-2 guard has posted 18 double-digit scoring performances in his first season, which were the most for a TCU freshman since Corey Santee posted 25 during the 2001-02 campaign.
Good Things Come in Three's
• The Frogs have made at least one three-pointer in 341 consecutive games dating back to the 1997-98 season. The last time that the Purple and White failed to connect on a trey came against LIU-Brooklyn on November 22, 1997.
• The Frogs have recorded at least one three-pointer in 558 of their last 559 games. Prior to that failed connection against LIU-Brooklyn, TCU made at least one three-pointer in 217 straight games dating back to the 1989-90 season when the University of Texas stopped the Frogs behind the arc on February 11, 1990.
Frogs Record 409th Victory at DMC
• With a victory over Air Force on February 18th, the Frogs notched their 409th triumph at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. In the 48-year history of the DMC, the Frogs have posted a record of 409-239 (.631) on their home court. Over the past 11 seasons, the Frogs have posted a 149-64 (.702) overall record at home with a 10-5 mark this season. The Frogs also recorded at least 10 victories on their home court for the eighth time in the last 11 seasons.
No Three for You
• This season, the Frogs were ranked fourth in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goal percentage defense as opponents have only connected on 33.5 percent (178-of-531) of their trey attempts.
• This was the best three-point field goal defense for the Frogs since the 1998-99 campaign when TCU allowed opponents to connect on 31.5 percent (224-of-710) of their attempts. This was also only the second time in the last 10 seasons that the Frogs held opponents to less than 34.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Nine Lives
• Following a 79-78 overtime triumph over Wyoming on January 21st, the Frogs recorded their ninth consecutive victory at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The nine-game home winning streak for the Frogs was the longest for the program since the 1998-99 campaign when TCU began the season with a 9-0 mark.
Buljan Cited as MWC Newcomer of the Year
• Zvonko "Z" Buljan was selected as the Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year after the TCU forward averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per contest. The 6-9 forward ranked second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.8 R-G), eighth in field goal percentage (145-of-290 | .500) and 15th in scoring average (12.3 P-G).
• Buljan became the first Frog to win a Conference Newcomer of the Year award since Lee Nailon garnered WAC Newcomer of the Year laurels during the 1997-98 campaign. The TCU forward was selected as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on January 12th after averaging 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in victories over Texas Tech and UNLV.
• Buljan ranked first on the Frogs in double-digit scoring games (21) and notched nine double-doubles - which were the most for a Frog since Jamal Brown (9) during the 2001-02 campaign. The 6-9 forward also finished 87th in the country in rebounds per game at 7.8 boards per evening.
Off the Bench
• This season, the Frogs averaged 15.1 points per game (468 total points) from their bench and 13.1 points per game (210 total points) during Mountain West Conference action. The most points in a game for the Frogs off of the bench came against St. Gregory's (Okla.) when TCU garnered 47 points.
International Flavor
• The Frogs had four international players on the roster in John Ortiz (Colombia), Zvonko Buljan (Croatia), Edvinas Ruzgas (Lithuania) and Marin Bavcevic (Croatia). TCU has never had more than two international players on its roster at any one time during its history. There have been at least two international players on the TCU roster in each of the last five seasons.
Bigger in Texas
• The Frogs had six players that reside from the State of Texas, including four players from the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Kevin Langford (Fort Worth), Ronnie Moss (Fort Worth), Kevin Butler (Duncanville) and A.J. Siebert (Southlake).
Second Generation Stars
• The Frogs had two players on their roster who have parents who played collegiate athletics in Kevin Langford (Father - basketball at UT Arlington | Mother - basketball at UT Arlington) and A.J. Siebert (Father - football at Northern Arizona).
Charity Stripe Highs
• The Frogs connected on 27 free throws against Nebraska, which was their highest talley since a 27-free throw performance against Colorado State on February 20, 2008. Last season, the Frogs finished seventh in the Mountain West Conference in free throw percentage, but ranked second this season in that statistical category after connecting on 73.3 percent (436-of-595) of their charity stripe attempts.
• This was the highest free throw shooting percentage for the Frogs since TCU connected on 74.7 percent (698-of-934) during the 2000-01 campaign. In addition to the 2008-09 campaign, the Frogs have connected on 72.5 percent or higher on their free throw attempts on three occasions (2000-01 | 74.7 percent and 1999-00 | 76.5 percent) over the last 10 campaigns.
• Kevin Langford finished the season with 161 free throws made (5.20 free throws made per game), which were the sixth- highest tally in single-season program history. The 6-8 forward attempted 209 free throws (6.74 free throw attempts per game) this past season, whcih were the seventh-highest in single-season program history.
• This past season, Langford attempted 10 or more free throws in eight games with five of those contests coming in Mountain West Conference action. He posted a season-high 13 free throws made on three occasions, including back-to-back contests against Nebraska and McNeese State. The 6-8 forward also connected on 13 charity stripe attempts against New Mexico.
• In the Mountain West Conference standings, the Frogs were ranked eighth in the conference in total free throws made and free throws attempted during the 2008-09 campaign. The Frogs along with the Air Force Academy were the only two teams in the conference to attempt less than 600 free throws as a team.
Frogs Ink One on Signing Day
• The Frogs signed Garlon Green (Missouri City, Texas | Hightower High School) to a National Letter of Intent on November 12th. The 6-7 wing enters his senior season as the 19th-ranked prospect in the State of Texas and is the younger brother of Gerald Green, Jr., who plays for the Dallas Mavericks.
Page SIX
• Prior to a setback against Indiana, the Frogs were enjoying a six-game winning streak which was their longest winning streak since the 1998-99 campaign when TCU won eight straight contests. That season, the Frogs advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT Tournament, which was their last post-season appearance.
• This was the 10th time that Jim Christian has produced a winning streak of six or more games in a season.
Frogs Fall to Utah, 61-58, in Conference Tournament
• The Horned Frogs dropped a 61-58 heartbreaking decision in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on March 12th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The Runnin' Utes captured the conference tournamen title and earned a fifth-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• With scored tied at 58-58, Utah senior Lawrence Borha connected on a three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining to give the Runnin' Utes the victory. This was the second time in the last two seasons that TCU has fallen in the conference tournament in the final 4.0 seconds of the game.
• Zvonko Buljan tied a career-high with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting - including 5-of-5 from the free throw line - to go along with seven rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of action. Ronnie Moss finished with 16 points - including 7-of-8 at the charity stripe - to go along with five rebounds in 36 minutes of court time.
• The Frogs held Luke Nevill - Mountain West Conference Player of the Year - to 10 points on 1-of-2 shooting. Nevill finished with 10 points after connecting on a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Shaun Green finished with a team-high 14 points - including four three-pointers - in 36 minutes of action.
Line of Defense
• The Frogs concluded the 2008-09 campaign ranked 83rd in the nation in scoring defense as TCU allowed opponents to score 64.1 points per game. TCU ranked fourth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense behind San Diego State (59.5 P-G), Air Force (62.5 P-G) and UNLV (64.0 P-G).
• During a three-game stretch, the Frogs held SMU, St. Gregory's and Colorado to 46 or fewer points, which marked the first time since the 1951-52 season that TCU held three consecutive opponents to less than 46 points after achieving the feat against Rice (30), Texas (43) and SMU (43).
• The Frogs held two opponents to 39 or fewer points this season in St. Gregory's (38) and Colgate (37). This was the first time since the 1986-87 campaign that TCU held at least two opponents to 38 or fewer points in a game. That season, TCU held Texas (37) and Rice (38) to 38 or fewer points in a game.
Frogs in the MWC Tourney
• This was the Frogs' fourth appearance in the Mountain West Conference Tournament where TCU holds a 1-4 record. TCU posted its lone MWC Tournament victory with a 62-54 decision to over New Mexico (2006-07).
Shoot `Em Up
• Edvinas Ruzgas made an impact for the Frogs in his first season as the former Weatherford College standout ranked first on the team in three-point field goals made (58) and three-point field goal attempts (174) while standing fourth in field goals made (103). The 6-6 guard connected on 42.6 percent (103-of-242) of his field goal attempts and 78.9 percent (45-of-57) of his free throw tries.
• Ruzgas notched 15 double-digit scoring performances with nine of those games coming on the road and nine coming in Mountain West Conference action. The 6-6 guard connected on a career-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 from behind the three-point line, in a road victory against Texas Tech.
Keion Me
• A starter in 18 of 31 games this season, Keion Mitchem posted solid numbers as the TCU junior averaged 5.7 points per game to go along with 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The 5-10 shooting guard connected on 38.9 percent (61-of-157) of his field goal attempts, including 38.0 percent (30-of-79) of his three-point field goal tries and 78.8 percent (26-of-33) of his attempts at the charity stripe.
• Mitchem scored a career-high 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including five three-pointers, in an 81-67 victory over Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference opener for the Frogs. The TCU guard recorded eight double-digit scoring performances this season, and TCU was 5-3 when Mitchem scored 10 or more points.
Point of Order
• Jason Ebie started 25 of 31 games for the Frogs at the point guard position where he ranked fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.74 A-G) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.81:1). The Houston talent dished out three or more assists in 24 of 31 games and scored six or more points in 17 of those contests.
• The 6-1 guard scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from behind the three-point line, in TCU's road victory at the Air Force Academy. Ebie collected a pair of double-digit scoring performances this season with both of them coming against conference foes on the road (12 - Air Force | 11 - Wyoming).
KB Energy
• Kevin Butler appeared in all 31 games in his first season with the Frogs and earned his first trip to the starting lineup on February 18th against the Air Force Academy. During his rookie campaign, the Duncanville, Texas, native averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while connecting on 41.8 percent (38-of-91) of his shots.
• The TCU freshman had a tremendous performance against ACC-opponent Clemson as he posted a career-high nine points, including 2-of-2 from behind the three-point line, to go along with six steals, four rebounds and two assists. His six-steal effort against the Tigers was the highest single-game tally in the conference this season.
Big Pappi
• John Ortiz has appeared in 27 games for TCU in his senior campaign while earning a spot in the starting lineup on five occasions. Ortiz averaged 1.7 points to go along with 1.9 rebounds per game while connecting on 39.1 percent (18-of-46) of his field goal attempts. The Frogs were 3-2 when the senior appeared in the starting lineup.
Stronger as the Game Goes On
• This season, TCU averaged 28.4 points per game (880 points) in the first half of action, but increased its offensive output to 34.9 points (1,083) over the final 20 minutes. The increase of +6.5 points from the first to second half of action was the highest among all teams in the Mountain West Conference this season.
Under 60 Crowd
• This season, the Frogs posted a perfect 8-0 record when holding opponents to less than 60 points in a game.
The Frog 300
• The Frogs made a statement in the season scoring category as four players surpassed the 300-point mark during the 2008-09 campaign. Following the Mountain West Conference Tournament, Kevin Langford (430), Zvonko Buljan (381), Edvinas Ruzgas (309) and Ronnie Moss (306) are looking to become the first quartet since the 2001-02 campaign to post over 300 points in a season.
• The last quartet to post over 300 points in a season came during the 2001-02 campaign when Junior Blount (603), Corey Santee (456), Bingo Merriex (393) and Jamal Brown (310) reached the achievement.
Christian Moves into Fourth Place
• In his first season as head coach of the Frogs, Jim Christian collected his 14th victory following a 62-50 victory over Air Force on February 18th. With his 14th victory, Christian took sole possession of fourth place on the TCU all-time coaching list for most victories in his first season. The TCU head coach surpassed Hub McQuillan (13 victories) for fourth place and is two triumphs shy of tying Billy Tubbs (16 wins) and Matty Bell (16 wins) for the all-time record.
• Only four coaches in program history have recorded a winning record in their first season with the Frogs in Tubbs (16-11 | 1994-95), Johnny Swaim (15-11 | 1967-68), Hub McQuillan (13-10 | 1941-42) and Matty Bell (16-4 | 1923-24). The average number of wins for a first-year coach at TCU is 7.1 triumphs.
Buljan Recognized by The Sporting News
• Zvonko Buljan was recognized by The Sporting News as the one of the top international players during the 2008-09 campaign as he was ranked 21st overall and second in the conference behind Utah's Luke Nevill - who was ranked fifth overall.
• Buljan played extremely well on the road this season as he recorded five of his nine double-doubles away from the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The 6-9 forward posted 12 of his 21 double-digit scoring performances on the road this season.
Halftime Tales
• A key for the Frogs this season was jumping on their opponents early in the first half of action. TCU recorded a 10-1 record when holding the lead heading into intermission. The lone setback for the Frogs when leading at halftime came against Utah on February 4th when TCU held a 32-27 advantage, but fell 62-54 to the Runnin' Utes.
Rookie Bests
• In his first season with the Frogs, Moss posted a stellar rookie season as the 6-2 guard was ranked second in scoring average (10.2 P-G) among all freshmen, but was the top scoring true freshman in the Mountain West Conference. Ajam Muojeke, a redshirt freshman from Wyoming, is averaging 14.1 points per game for the Cowboys.
• The last time that a freshman averaged over 10.0 points per game for the Frogs came during the 2001-02 season when Corey Santee recorded a mark of 14.7 points per game. The last time a freshman averaged over 8.0 points per game came the following season when Chudi Chinweze averaged 8.4 points per game.
Frogs in the RPI
• In the last RPI rankings, the Frogs were listed 164th - which was their best RPI ranking since joining the Mountain West Conference prior to the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign. In their time in the MWC, the Frogs have only finished under 200th one time (182nd | 2006-07) and were listed 214th a season ago.
Frogs Add One Player to Roster
• At the beginning of the spring semester, the Frogs added one player to the 2008-09 roster in freshman Marin Bavcevic. A 6-2 guard from Split, Croatia, Bavcevic graduated from The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C.
Logan's Domain
• TCU freshman Logan Lancon made his first collegiate start against New Mexico on January 24th where he played in 11 minutes of action. The 6-6 guard played an important role in the Frogs' 79-78 overtime victory over Wyoming on January 21st as he collected five points on 2-of-3 shooting, including a three-pointer, in 10 minutes of action.
Frogs Top Pair of Big 12 Conference Foes
• Following an 85-80 victory on the road at Texas Tech, the Frogs recorded their second victory against a Big 12 Conference-foe away from the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. This was the first time in the 13-year existence of the Big 12 Conference that the Frogs have defeated not only two members in a season, but also the first time that TCU defeated two members on the road.
• The last time that the Frogs defeated two Big 12 Conference-opponents came during the 1991-92 season when TCU was a member of the Southwest Conference. That season, TCU defeated Texas A&M and Baylor on the road.
Non-Conference - No Problem at Home
• The Frogs captured 17 of their last 20 games at home against non-conference opponents. In their last 10 games, the Frogs posted victories in nine of them with their lone setback coming against Big 12 Conference-foe Nebraska at home.
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