Desmond Bane

After he was born, Bane, his mother, Marissa, and his sister often moved around, living with relatives because his mother was young and not prepared for the demands of parenting. When he was two years old, he started living with his great-grandparents, who raised him in Richmond, Indiana for the rest of his childhood.[1] At age 13, Bane discovered that his father, Etieno Ekiko, lived in Nigeria. Growing up, he found more success in baseball than in basketball but preferred the latter sport.[2] Bane focused on baseball until eighth grade, with his great-grandfather coaching at the youth level, and also played football and soccer.[1]

Bane played basketball for Seton Catholic High School, a small private school in Richmond, Indiana. He was drawn to the school because it appointed Josh Jurgens, who coached him in third grade, as head basketball coach during his eighth-grade season.[1] As a senior, Bane averaged a state-high 30 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.2 blocks per game. He scored a school-record 62 points and nine three-pointers in a win over Lincoln Senior High School.[3] He was named MVP of the Wettig Memorial Holiday Tournament. Bane scored 1,991 points over his four-year career, surpassing 1988 Indiana Mr. Basketball winner Woody Austin for the most in Wayne County history. He did not receive an NCAA Division I offer until his senior season, when Furman offered him at the end of November early signing period. On May 12, 2016, Bane committed to play college basketball for TCU.[4] He was not rated by major recruiting services 247Sports, ESPN, or Rivals.[2]

Bane earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors after scoring 18 points and pulling down seven rebounds against Bradley. He had 16 points including three free throws with two seconds remaining to help TCU defeat first-ranked Kansas, 85–82, in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Bane helped TCU win the NIT as a freshman, contributing nine points in the title game against Georgia Tech. He averaged 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and making 13 starts. In an 89–83 victory over Iowa State, Bane scored a season-high 27 points. As a sophomore, Bane averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and his 47.2% 3-point percentage led the Big 12. In the NCAA Tournament, Bane had five points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block in the first-round loss to Syracuse.[4] As a junior, Bane was named to the Second Team All-Big 12.[5] He had a career-high 34 points in the team's regular-season finale against Texas and scored 30 points versus Nebraska in the second round of the NIT. Bane averaged 15.2 points per game to lead the team, 5.7 rebounds per game and shot 42.5% from behind the arc. After the season, he "tested the waters" of the NBA draft but returned to TCU.[6] As a senior, Bane was named to the First Team All-Big 12. [7] Bane averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and his 44.2% three-point percentage led the Big 12. On March 2, 2020, Bane was named Big 12 player of the week after scoring 23 points in a 75–72 upset over second-ranked Baylor.[8]

• TCU Horned Frogs bio