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TCU Men's Basketball Class

Brandon Parrish
Karviar Shepherd
Michael Williams

TCU Men's Basketball

Frogs Announce Heralded Signing Class

FORT WORTH - The TCU men's basketball program announced the details of arguably top recruiting class in school history Wednesday. The three-man class put together by head coach Trent Johnson's Horned Frog staff has been ranked as high as No. 23 nationally.

TCU received early National Letters of Intent from three highly-regarded in-state prospects in Brandon Parrish (F, 6-6, 185, Arlington, Texas / Seguin HS), Karviar Shepherd (C, 6-10, 225, Dallas, Texas / Prime Prep Academy) and Michael Williams (G, 6-2, 185, San Antonio, Texas / Ronald Reagan HS). Each of the three players has earned national rankings from at least one outlet, with Shepherd rated among the country's top-50 players and Parrish listed among the top-150.

Johnson's successful first full recruiting cycle at TCU has gained national notice. MaxPreps' recruiting service rated the group as the country's No. 23 overall class, while several other outlets had the group of Frog newcomers listed just outside the Top 25.

"I can't overstate how excited we are to have these three young student-athletes joining our TCU basketball family," Johnson said. "Not only are they very gifted basketball players, they are also quality young men. In choosing TCU, they have demonstrated courage and a commitment to establishing a basketball tradition at TCU. They will bring an element of competitiveness and toughness that we are looking for as we move our program forward into the Big 12 era of TCU Basketball."

Brandon Parrish

F | 6-6 | 185 | Arlington, Texas | Seguin High School

The first player to commit to TCU head coach Trent Johnson for next year's class, Parrish has been rated as the nation's No. 143 overall player for the Class of 2013 and the No. 25 small forward by Rivals.com ... rated as the nation's No. 27 shooting guard by ESPN and the No. 15 overall player in the state of Texas ... owns great size and athletic ability with a college-ready physique ... a dangerous 3-point shooting threat who also is explosive enough to take defenders to the rim ... averaged 14.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a junior for a Seguin squad that won the District 7-4A title ... named First-Team All-District 7-4A in 2012 ... coached at Seguin by Bobby Thigpen ... plays AAU ball for the Urban DFW Elite squad coached by Jazzy Hartwell ... an AAU teammate of fellow TCU signee Karviar Shepherd ... selected TCU over other offers from a selection of schools that included Marquette, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Miami.

Coach Johnson on Brandon Parrish:
"Brandon is a talented perimeter player with tremendous upside. We are extremely excited about his ability be a complete basketball player, and his size will allow him to score in a variety of ways. As he continues to get stronger, he will have a chance to be a great defender at the next level."

Karviar Shepherd

C | 6-10 | 225 | Dallas, Texas | Prime Prep Academy

One of the nation's most sought-after prospects, Shepherd is the highest-rated prospect to ever sign with TCU ... rated the No. 46 overall player for the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com and the No. 3 center ... the No. 48 overall player according to both ESPN and Scout.com ... awarded four stars by both Rivals and Scout ... listed as the No. 7 overall player in the state of Texas by ESPN ... was selected to compete at the 2012 National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp as one of the nation's premier recruits ... an imposing interior presence, he is a dominant rebounder and shot blocker with the ability to face up from the free-throw line or elbow on the offensive end of the court ... also possesses outstanding leadership skills ... played his freshman and sophomore seasons at DeSoto High School and sat out his junior campaign at Arlington Grace Prep before transferring to Prime Prep ... plays AAU ball for the Urban DFW Elite squad coached by Jazzy Hartwell ... was an AAU teammate of fellow TCU signee Brandon Parrish ... selected TCU over other offers from a host of schools that included Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M.

Coach Johnson on Karviar Shepherd:
"Karviar is one of the top post players in the country. His decision to commit to what we are building here at TCU speaks volumes for him as a person. Rarely do you see a kid of his size play so hard on every possession, and I know that TCU fans will enjoy watching him compete every time he steps on the floor. Karviar will provide us with the kind of length, toughness and presence that we need to compete at the elite level. With his work ethic, there is no limit as to how good he can be."

Michael Williams

G | 6-2 | 185 | San Antonio, Texas | Ronald Reagan High School

A heady point-guard prospect, Williams was rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... listed as the No. 17 player in the state of Texas by ESPN.com ... tough-minded floor leader who has outstanding leadership skills and the ability to score in a variety of ways ... posted single-game averages of 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a junior for a Reagan squad that advanced to the area round of the Class 5A playoffs in 2012 despite missing time due to injury ... coached at Reagan by John Hirst ... named one of the top 13 players at the Great American Shootout in Carrollton, Texas ... plays AAU ball for the South Texas Irish squad coached by Lance Carew ... also received recruiting interest from a group of schools that included Utah, Nebraska, Creighton and Penn.

Coach Johnson on Michael Williams:
"Michael is a talented point guard who will provide us with leadership, toughness and perimeter scoring. We are very excited about how he approaches the game from a competitive standpoint and how winning is his only priority. Even as a scoring point guard, he maintains a team-first mentality."