Day 13 of 95 Players to Know Before the 2026–27 College Basketball Season series. Day 13: Gavin Sykes (TCU) As pure of a scorer from the combo guard position as they come. Sykes was Freshman of the Year last year in the Big West and takes his talents to the Big 12 for his sophomore campaign. Sykes posted 14 games of at least 20 points & four 30-point games last season for Long Beach State. Sykes was one of only 3 players last year in the Big West to put up the combination of 59% TS% & 26% USG%. Sykes was also the only freshman of the group. Sykes joins a group of only 5 players from last year to combine those numbers while pairing them with a TO% of at less than 7.0%. The high-usage combo guard put up an impressive balance of scoring across all areas of the court: Rim FG%: 71.9% (89th %tile) Mid-Range 2s: 41.8% (71st %tile) 3P%: 37.7% (78th %tile) Additionally, Sykes displayed an elite ability to score both on & off the ball. Sykes posted a 1.04 PPP as a Pick & Roll Ball Handler (90th %tile) with an elite 52.4% eFG% & 39.1% from 3 on such possessions. Sykes also took care of the ball at an exceptionally high rate in these possessions, posting a very low 6.7% TO% in PNR + Pass Possessions. Sykes’ overall TO% of 6.9% is extremely impressive given the high usage & play type percentages. Off the ball, there was no drop in efficiency from the Freshman of the Year. 42.4% on catch & shoot 3s & 1.21 PPP on Spot-Up Possessions (91st %tile). One of the most effective transition guards in the country, Sykes will fit much better in a Horned Frog offense that ranked in the 91st %tile in Fast Break Points/G & % of Total Points scored from Transition opportunities. Compared to Sykes’ previous home of Long Beach State, which ranked in the 36th %tile in both Fast Break Points/G & % of Total Points scored from Transition opportunities. Sykes posted an impressive 70.2% eFG% on Transition Possessions & also did well to draw fouls on such possessions, posting a 23.8 %FT, which ranks in the 84th %tile among qualifying players. The question that everyone asks with young, high-usage guards from below-average teams transferring up is, “Will it translate?” The Big West ranked 12th in NetRtg per KenPom, as it did the previous season. The Big West has not ranked in the Top 12 in any other year per KenPom’s records. Ultimately, the conference is not your average mid-major pool. Additionally, Sykes played in 5/6 of Long Beach State’s Quad 1+2 games last season. In these 5 games, Sykes put up 18.8 Pts/G on 61.8% TS%. Needless to say, Sykes has all the tools required to be a high-level scorer at the high-major level.

Had a great time talking hoops with @CoachingIdaho