On April 23rd, TCU Horned Frogs just landed a big transfer portal win with Long Beach State freshman guard Gavin Sykes committing to the squad. This 6'4", 195-pound sharpshooter earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors and made the All-Big West second team last, season. He balled out in 28 games with 26 starts, dropping 19.4 points per game on 47.3% shooting, overall and 38.7% from deep. Earlier this week on April 23rd, Coach Jamie Dixon finally made their first splash of the offseason after weeks of quiet in the portal.
Sykes steps in as a key addition while the Frogs hold on to starting point guard Brock Harding. The team needed backcourt help bad, with departures like Caden Edwards, RJ Jones, Jace Posey, Leotaras Lelevicius, and Ashton Simmons heading out, plus frontcourt losses from David Punch and Malik Diallo. Starting shooting guard Jaden Pierre also exhausted his eligibility. Sykes shattered freshman records at Long Beach State, including a 39-point game and 542 points for the season.
His scoring average ranked 6th among freshmen nationwide, trailing only future lottery picks like A.J. DeBanza, Cameron Boozer, and Kayla Wilson. This move sets TCU up strong for rebuilding, pairing Sykes' scoring punch with Harding's playmaking to chase deeper runs next year.