Nov. 14, 2007

TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty announced on Wednesday (Nov. 14) that the Horned Frogs have inked three players to National Letter of Intents in Kevin Butler, Logan Lancon and James Blasczyk - all players ranked in the top-50 in the State of Texas according to TexasHoops.com.

Kevin Butler (6-5 / 200 / Guard / Duncanville, Texas - Duncanville High School)
A tremendous prospect from one of the top high school programs in the nation, Butler will bring great success to the Frogs' basketball program on both an individual as well as a team level.

"Kevin is another strong guard with size," said Dougherty. "He plays much bigger than he looks and is a strong rebounder as well as a strong finisher around the basket. He is a player with a tremendous future ahead of him and once he improves on his perimeter shooting then he's going to be a really special player."

Butler is ranked 16th in the State of Texas according to TexasHoops.com in the Class of 2008 after a stellar junior campaign, which was highlighted by earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Texas State Championship Game.

The newly-inked Frog was a member of a Duncanville High School program that recorded a 60-46 victory in the Texas 5A State Championship Game and finished seventh in the nation according to USA Today following a perfect 39-0 season.

Butler returns for his final season to a Duncanville program that is pre-season ranked first in the nation according to Rivals.com and listed first in the FAB 50 for the pre-season rankings of NJ.com. In the latest ESPN Elite High School Boys' Basketball Team listings, Duncanville was ranked fourth in the nation and is the only State of Texas to be highlighted in the top-50.

Scouting Report from TexasHoops.com
"Kevin is a very good athlete with a strong body and a nose for the ball. He is quick to the hole from 15-17 feet, has a nice stroke out to the three-point line, finishes well on the break and can create and finish with contact at the rim. He has an active and energetic body, comes up with loose balls, is an aggressive rebounder and a solid defender. He is willing to play his role and just makes plays to help his team win."

A product of Clear Creek High School, Lancon comes into the 2007-08 campaign as the 43rd top prospect according to TexasHoops.com. The newly-signed Frog averaged a team-high 11.3 points per game en route to earning first team All-District 24-5A honors.

"Logan is a very good three-point shooter, is a good offensive rebounder and solid defender. He has the physical body type similar to Kevin (Butler) so they're not far away with our strength program. Logan's specialty is shooting the ball because he possesses great, great range," added Dougherty.

Scouting Report from TexasHoops.com
"Logan is a deceptive athlete who can get into the paint and elevate and finish strong in traffic. He moves well without the ball, understands how to work off his teammates to get open and can create his shot by using fakes and quick dribbles to create separation. He has a smooth stroke from behind the three-point line, can pull-up from 15 feet and takes it strong to the hole. He is a good leaper, works hard for position on the boards and has the strength to compete and hold his position on defense."

James Blasczyk (7-0/ 200 / Center / Friendswood, Texas - Friendswood High School)
A native of Houston, Blasczyk is listed as the 47th best prospect in the State of Texas according to TexasHoops.com after concluding a junior campaign where he averaged 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game.

"James is a long and active player. He runs the floor very well, has good lateral movement and is extremely skills in passing and shooting for a big player. He understands how to play the game, but he needs to get stronger which is something that all kids his age and size need to do. He's the type of big player that we need here in order to continue to run our up-tempo style of play," added Dougherty.

The 7-0 center was a teammate of fellow TCU signee Logan Lancon during their AAU careers with the Houston Select. Blasczyk and Lancon teamed up to lead Houston Select to a team championship at the Great American Shootout in Denton, Texas, this past summer.

Scouting Report from TexasHoops.com
"James is long and thin paint player with good skills and a soft touch out to 18 feet. He runs the floor well, competes on the boards, contests shots in the paint and will mix it up physically on the low block. He has a nice touch on the low block, works well on the offensive glass and can step out and hit the face-up jumper."

TCU Athletic Media Relations