Troy University Athletics
Johnson's Journal - One Step at a Time: Theo Seng’s Rise Through College Basketball
1/13/2026 2:00:00 PM | Basketball (M)
Troy University men's basketball player Theo Seng, an avid reader, was asked what book he was currently perusing.
"Coach (Scott) Cross is going to love this answer," Seng said of Troy's head men's basketball coach. "I'm reading a David Goggins book right now called Can't Hurt Me, which is really good."
The non-fiction book chronicles how Goggins, a former Navy SEAL, transformed from a person who let circumstances control him to one who sought greatness by taking on new challenges. Goggins believes most just give 40 percent of their effort and fall short of their potential. He offers ways to help people to push themselves toward their goals.
Seng has certainly plugged away to overcome his share of obstacles, including an ankle injury which caused him to miss the second half of senior season at Davis (Calif.) High School.
"We were breaking the press and one of my friends threw a high lob pass and I jumped up real high to get it and a guy kind of nudged under me," Seng remembers. "I landed against the bleachers and rolled my ankle pretty bad. I didn't have to get surgery, thankfully, but it took about a year to get back to normal."
Through perseverance and hard work, Seng climbed the ladder step-by-step with stops at three colleges before landing and flourishing at Troy in what is now his third season with the program.
A 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior forward who is comfortable swishing through shots from the outside but can also drive aggressively to the basket, Seng has developed an all-around game that makes it difficult for the opposition to guard him.
"When he's hitting shots, he does become a nightmare match-up," Cross said. "That's why we recruited him initially with his ability to shoot the basketball with his size. He works on it … he's always in the gym."
College journey begins
Despite the high school injury, San Francisco State, which plays on the Division II level, offered Seng a chance to continue his basketball career.
"That was the school that was still recruiting me, which was nice of them," Seng said.
But after what would have been his freshman season was cancelled due to COVID 19, Seng never played a game for San Francisco State.
"That was a crazy time," Seng said. "It still feels kind of surreal. I was honestly just at home most of that year. I met up with some of the guys to play pick-up and get to know them.
"The next year, I thought there was a chance it would get cancelled again, so I wanted to try to go up to the Division I level and hopefully play."
Seng transferred to Sacramento State, where he played in eight games and averaged 1.3 points and 2.3 minutes per game.
"That was definitely a growth year," Seng said. "I was still kind of a raw player. I had a lot of potential, which I think a lot of coaches saw. I really kind of got into serious basketball later in life … I was just playing for fun and the love of the game … so I still had to learn a lot of defensive principles and all of that."
Then Sacramento State coach Brian Katz, who recruited and signed Seng, had a health issue which caused him to retire after the first exhibition game of the 2021-2022 season.
"After that it was kind of hard for me to get development," Seng said. "It kind of put a chip on my shoulder and I felt like I had to get better, so I locked myself in the gym a lot and tried to learn a lot at practice."
After one year at Sacramento State, Seng would pack his bags again and head to the junior college ranks at Eastern Arizona to play for coach Cameron Turner.
"I definitely knew I just needed to go somewhere I could play," Seng said. "Coach Turner reached out to me and said, 'Hey, you come out here and you'll have a really big role - I see a bright future for you and you can come be a leader and get a lot of experience.' It was his first year with a fully new team and fully new staff. We kind of came together and put a solid season together."
Seng started 30 games for Eastern Arizona, averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and was named first team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and All-Region first team.
Troy comes calling
Seng had never heard of Troy University, but it would ultimately be a match made in Heaven.
"Coach Turner and a former assistant here, Byron Jones, were friends so they linked up," Seng said. "One thing I really appreciated about Troy is they recruited me for two or three months … just talked to the coaches around me … and then the first phone call they offered me, which was like a huge deal. They were really genuine and straight to the point.
"I came out to visit and everything felt really authentic. It was kind of exactly what I expected."
The versatility of Seng was a selling point to the Trojans' coaching staff.
"When we recruited him, we knew he was going to be a 6-9 guy that could really shoot the basketball," Cross said. "I think he's progressed with his finishing around the basket. He's worked hard with Coach (assistant, Brandon) Gilbert getting in the gym and working on jump-stop, shot-fake, step-throughs … he's gotten really crafty with that."
It took some adjusting for Seng to fit in at Troy on and off the court.
"It was definitely a little different," Seng said. "Even some of the people thought I was foreign when I came out here. They said my slang was funny, but I caught on pretty quick. People even say I have a little Southern accent now, which is funny."
From the start, Seng has been impressed with the fan support.
"The atmosphere at games and the fans are a lot better than I thought," Seng said. "I'm still friends with a lot of our fans … I hang out with them outside of basketball, which is really rare. They always show up with flags and screaming. They're really good fans.
"I really love the people out here. My only complaint is we don't have a Chipotle or a beach really close by, but everything is within driving distance."
Adjusting to new role
After being in the starting lineup 15 of 31 games during his first season at Troy, Seng would find himself coming off the bench last year behind sophomore Thomas Dowd, who blossomed into a star at the forward position.
"It was definitely a hard year for me coming off the bench, but everyone knows how good Thomas is, so I accepted my role and played behind him," Seng said.
While not in the starting lineup but one game a year ago, Seng became a key player off the bench for a Troy team that shared the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship with three other teams, won the SBC Tournament and played Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Seng appeared in 30 games, averaging 5.3 points while shooting 42.4 percent from the field in playing 14.3 minutes per game.
"We all embraced our roles and had a really good depth on our bench and came together at the right time," Seng said. "I tell you the most amazing feeling I've felt in my life was when we won the conference tournament because the coaches put their faith in me … put me in the last few minutes of the game to get it done. When those streamers came down, it was the best feeling I've ever felt.
"Then playing in March Madness was awesome. Playing in a big NBA arena (Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee) against Kentucky is what you dream about as a kid."
With still one year of college eligibility remaining after the season ended, Seng quickly made up his mind to return to Troy for a final season.
"I was pretty sure I was going to come back anyway, but what really sealed the deal was when they put me in at the end of that conference tournament game … that was amazing," Seng said. "Then I had a nice meeting with Coach Cross at the end of the season. He just told me he was grateful for me embracing the role that season and this year we could do bigger things."
Hard work continues
It's not unusual to find Seng in the gym after regular practice sessions, firing up shot after shot from the outside - more times than not, swishing through a 3-pointer.
"I definitely spend a lot of time working on my jumper," Seng said. "I try to shoot a bunch of shots every day. All the coaches help me out with my form and my arc (on shot)."
Seng has been a regular starter this year for the Trojans along with Dowd. The two roommates have developed a close bond and continuously push each other to get better.
"I would definitely say I view Thomas as a brother," Seng said. "When we came in we were really competitive fighting for a spot, but we've always got along super well off the court.
"And then now we've got the opportunity to play together (as starters) and have great chemistry. We boost each other up and try to make each other play better."
Seng had a monster game in the Sun Belt opener this season at home during a 70-63 win over Marshall. He tallied 18 points in the game, which included hitting 3-pointers on three straight possessions to begin the second half and scored 11 consecutive points for the Trojans during the 14-4 run.
"He was a little bit slow at the beginning of the year and then he broke loose and was a big reason we won against Marshall," Cross said.
"Once he hit those three 3s and then the fourth bucket, they pulled the 7-foot-4 guy out and it's a lot easier to score when there isn't a 7-foot-4 guy," Cross added of Marshall center Matt Van Komen.
"It couldn't have come at a better time. We needed all of those points and he is probably the biggest reason for that win."
Down the stretch
Seng continues to be a match-up problem for teams.
"He's a big part of what we do," Cross said. "Coach (assistant, Kaleb) Canales says it all the time that he hopes we play a team that has a 7-footer because they're not going to be able to guard Theo. USC had a 7-footer and Theo got him out of the game."
Seng loves going against bigger players.
"I honestly say I like playing against taller, bigger guys just because I've had a lot of experience playing on the perimeter and I can usually go by them a little easier," Seng said. "I feel like it's helped space out our offense a little bit."
A wide smile is often seen on the face of Seng.
"I love playing basketball, especially with this group of guys," Seng said. I want to see everyone succeed."
As a graduate student, Seng is earning a Masters in general business and hopes to keep playing basketball after his career at Troy ends.
"I definitely would like to play professionally," Seng said. "I don't know where yet, but I'm trying to focus on winning here and hopefully everything will take care of itself."
One step at a time.
