As part of TCU’s 150th anniversary, TCU is highlighting notable Horned Frog leaders who found their inspiration at TCU with a series of hand-painted, large-scale murals and events in cities across America.
The latest mural will be complete April 4 in Nashville and features Desmond Bane ’20, NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies and a youth advocate. The Grizzlies are currently ranked second in the Western Conference.
Bane credits TCU’s coaching staff and his TCU College of Education professors for providing him with a “home away from home.”
“My support system had everything to do with my success, and it still does,” said Bane. “It keeps me anchored along this journey. TCU is a close-knit family, like the one I came from. Without TCU, I wouldn’t be the man that I am today. To be recognized by my alma mater and to leave my mark means the world to me.”
Bane also credits TCU with sparking his interest in becoming a youth advocate and helping generations of students build a better future. Today he participates in basketball camps, backpack drives and other opportunities using his platform as a professional athlete to inspire and motivate kids.
“I chose youth advocacy as a major because of my love for my community and my love for kids who are in the same position that I was in growing up,” said Bane, who was raised in Richmond, Indiana, with a population of around 30,000. “I didn’t get a chance to see too many people playing Division I basketball, playing in the NBA, and doing successful things outside of high school. I wanted to be that light and guidance for them — something that I wish that I had when I was growing up — to help them reach their dreams and goals.”
The mural featuring Bane is 20 feet high and 45 feet wide. It is located at 1616 N. Broadway in Nashville. The state capital provided a central location and large metropolitan
area to recognize a star of the state's home team. The bold mural, painted in TCU’s
signature purple, is accented with the Sesquicentennial year creative featuring a
prismatic purple sunrise gradient. It features a photorealistic portrait of Bane and
unique, dynamic lettering featuring his inspiring quote: “No one achieves their dream
alone.”
“Desmond represents the character and tenacity of all Horned Frogs who are empowered to lead on — in his case both on and off the basketball court, and in his personal and professional life,” said TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “For 150 years, TCU has developed students like Desmond, helping to shape them into leaders of action who have an outsized impact across our communities.”
Bane’s larger-than-life portrait in Nashville is the third mural in the TCU series that recognizes outstanding individuals that represent TCU’s alumni leading on in extraordinary ways.
The first two murals in the series were unveiled in New York City and Los Angeles and spotlighted alumnus John Devereaux ’12 of “Hamilton” and alumna Katherine Beattie ’08, a producer/writer for “NCIS” and wheelchair athlete. Other mural subjects and locations will be announced soon, with the final mural debuting in Fort Worth in fall 2023.
