The men’s basketball team has received commitments from two Texas high-schoolers for the 2006-2007 academic year, head coach Neil Dougherty announced Thursday.Dougherty said the Frogs’ two newest members are a product of scouting diligence.
“We’ve improved in recruiting over the past couple of years, and I think we did it again,” Dougherty said. “Jason and Luke will be welcome additions to the Horned Frogs.”
Lucas Tauscher, of Southwest High School in Fort Worth, and Jason Ebie, of Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas, each signed national letters of intent during the early signing period.
The two join a team already filled with Texans – 13 of the 16 players on the current roster hail from the Lone Star State. Dougherty is making a trend out of recruiting locals, having signed sophomore guard and Fort Worth native Brent Hackett before the 2004-2005 season.
Tauscher, a 6-foot-11-inch, 220-pound forward/center, verbally committed to TCU as a freshman in high school but confirmed it when he signed Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Tauscher, ranked the No. 22 senior in the state by texashoops.com’s preseason rankings, is an accomplished shot blocker (4.5 a game) and will help fill the void left when senior forwards Chudi Chinweze and Judson Stubbs graduate at the end of the year.
Southwest head coach Scott Gray said Tauscher is an intimidating player, but still has work to do.
“His shot-blocking ability is his largest asset, and he alters the ones he doesn’t block,” Gray said. “He’s got a good touch on the ball, and he’s very agile, but he needs to get stronger and hit the weights some.”
Ebie, a 6-foot-1-inch guard, was a standout at the 2005 Las Vegas Classic and displays excellent athleticism and leaping ability.
Ebie will bolster a back court, which, already thin after the departures of Corey Santee and Marcus Shropshire following the 2004-2005 season, will be further depleted after senior guards David Markley and Nile Murry graduate at the end of the year.
Women’s basketball also made news during the early signing period, receiving national letters of intent from three players: Emily Carter, of Airline High School in Bossier City, La.; Shayla Moore, of Denison High School in Denison; and Danielle Nunn, of Arlington Bowie High School in Arlington.
Women’s head coach Jeff Mittie said in an interview with gofrogs.com that he is pleased with the confirmations, but the team still has work to do.
“We went into the signing period wanting guard depth and versatility and to add another inside player,” Mittie said. “We didn’t get the inside player. We still have some work to do, and we’d like to get another three- or four-type player. We accomplished quite a bit.
