Former TCU star Desmond Bane is headed to the NBA.
Bane was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 30th overall pick and last of the first round of Wednesday's NBA Draft, but will be joining the Memphis Grizzlies via a trade according to multiple reports.
Bane joins the Grizzlies after a stellar college career. He celebrated the moment with family and friends in his hometown of Richmond, Indiana.
Bane is just the second TCU player in its history to be a first-round selection, joining Kurt Thomas. Thomas was the 10th overall pick by the Miami Heat in 1995. Bane becomes the 18th player in TCU's history to be selected in the NBA Draft and first since Lee Nailon in 1999. Of the 18 draft picks, only five have been taken in the first two rounds (Thomas, Nailon, Bane, Reggie Smith and Dick O'Neal).
For TCU coach Jamie Dixon, Bane is the third player he's coached to be taken in the first round (Steven Adams and Cameron Johnson).
Bane was part of more TCU victories (84) than anyone else and never missed a game in his college career. In fact, Bane missed only one non-summer practice (sickness).
He made more 3-pointers (249) than anyone in program history. Last season, Bane led the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.2% (92 for 208). He also led the league in 20-point games with 12 games.
Bane finished last season averaging 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He shot 45.2% from the field and 78.9% from the free throw line.
In an interview leading up to the draft this week, Bane described himself as "mature, consistent, hard-working player."
"I feel like I bring value on both ends of the floor from knowing the game and how it's played and the physical attributes that I have," Bane said. "I have a nice body of work over four years at TCU and I've been able to develop not only physically, but mentally in several ways and I feel like that will help me along the way in my NBA career."
Dixon raved about Bane earlier this week, saying he's a guy who coaches will enjoy coaching and players will enjoy playing with.
Bane credited playing under Dixon for his growth and development on and off the floor. This is a guy who had only one Power Five offer coming out of Seton Catholic High School in Richmond.
"Coach Dixon is really big on discipline and details," Bane said. "I came from a small private school and we played a 2-3 zone and I got to TCU and it was a lot different to say the least. We're having walk-throughs and if a guy is six inches out of place, we're going to do it again. Just learning to pay attention to every small detail and having the discipline on and off the court translates to becoming the best player I can."
