TCU Men's Basketball: Expectations Heighten For Haggerty As Season Looms
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Following an exceptional season in 2022 and poised for another strong season ahead, the TCU Men’s Basketball team has added PJ Haggerty to their already-impressive roster.
Jamie Dixon led the Horned Frogs to one of the program’s best campaigns in history, defeating two of the nation's most dominant schools, the University of Kansas and Texas Tech, and turning heads in the NCAA's March Madness. The team demonstrated great skill in getting to the Round of 32 where they fell short in an overtime loss to the University of Arizona. Benedict Mathurin, 6th overall pick in the NBA draft, and Christian Koloko, 33rd overall pick, proved to be too much, overpowering the Horned Frogs' game plan. Despite the loss, the resilience and determination shown by this great team of players put TCU on the national stage for the first time in years–undoubtedly playing a crucial role in signing PJ Haggerty.
The three-star combo guard played 26 games for Crosby High School and averaged 32.9 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. Over his career, Haggerty has improved and evolved his game from being a long-range shooter to crafting the skills necessary to drive and attack the basket. Haggerty’s 6 foot 3 and 170-pound frame allows him to absorb contact and be a force in the paint. Furthermore, with the incorporation of long- and close-range shooting, Haggerty has proven to be a handful for defenders, leaving them unsure of whether to prepare for the pull-up jumper or the more physical and gritty game of defending the paint. With this added depth and dimension, Haggerty also caught the eye of some of the country's top programs, including LSU, ASU, Auburn, and the University of Houston.
While opposing teams work to prevent points at the rim and beyond the arc, the mid-range game is often left wide open–another one of Haggerty's strong points. Furthermore, having lost Francisco Farabello to Creighton University via the transfer portal, Haggerty has the potential to fill this much-needed role in the Horned Frogs' offense as well.
On the opposite end of the court, Haggerty highlighted his defensive abilities in his last season at Crosby High School, where he took advantage of his unique build becoming one of the top rebounders in high school. While the skill gap between high school and collegiate basketball can be massive, Haggerty’s off-the-ball aggressiveness will certainly add to a Horned Frogs roster that ranked 5th nationally in rebounding.
With basketball season soon approaching, the Horned Frogs will look to build on last season’s success through Haggerty’s quality play that he is certain to bring to the Schollmaier Arena in November.
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