By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor’s 2023-24 roster became more clear following the May 31 deadline for those players who decided to either withdraw from the NBA draft or remain.
Almost.
As expected, guard Adam Flagler passed up his final year of eligibility to remain in the draft. While his chances to be selected in the second round aren’t that great, he could be looking to play overseas or in the G League and focus on his game to be ready to transition into the NBA.
The almost comes in Jalen Bridges. The 6-7 junior forward withdrew from the draft. That was not unexpected. The wrinkle is that his agent is looking at opportunities for Bridges to play in Australia.
ESPN’s Draft Express reported Wednesday Bridges is fielding offers from several NBL teams as part of a “Next Stars” program. It’s unclear if there is a deadline for Bridges to decide on this. What became clear was Bridges was not going to get drafted.
However, Baylor doesn’t necessarily have to wait for an answer. Having Bridges, who played well during the Big 12 season and scored a career-high 28 points in the Big 12 quarterfinal tournament game against Iowa State, back on the roster would be a benefit.
That said, the Bears really need some help in the front court. The only options are Josh Ojianwuna and 2023 signee Yves Missi in the block. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is a wild card because of where he is coming back from catastrophic knee injury.
Two players Baylor is in the mix for are Tennessee 6-8 senior power forward Olivier Nkamhoua and North Dakota State 6-11 junior forward Grant Nelson.
Both were in the NBA draft before they withdrew on Wednesday and are coveted.
Nkamhoua was Tennessee’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points and second leading rebounder 5.0 points as the Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 in this past NCAA tournament. Kansas State, Michigan, Memphis and West Virginia among the others that are involved.
Nelson led the Bison in scoring (17.9) and rebounding (9.0). With his presence he shot 52 percent from the floor. And while NDSU is in the one-bid Summit League, he did show out against two NCAA tournament teams in Arkansas and Kansas in November. He scored 17 against the Razorbacks and 11 facing the Jayhawks.
Time will tell how that part will unfold.
But with Flagler’s decision known, that could open things up for Toledo transfer guard RayJ Dennis. Baylor was one of several involved in his recruitment along with Michigan and Illinois. The MAC 2022-23 Player of the Year visited Scott Drew’s program on Mother’s Day. He averaged 19.5 points per game for the Rockets.
A report from another recruiting service predicted Dennis would come to Baylor. Rivals national basketball team is working on it. We can say Baylor feels good about where it stands but nothing is guaranteed.
Publisher
Baylor’s 2023-24 roster became more clear following the May 31 deadline for those players who decided to either withdraw from the NBA draft or remain.
Almost.
As expected, guard Adam Flagler passed up his final year of eligibility to remain in the draft. While his chances to be selected in the second round aren’t that great, he could be looking to play overseas or in the G League and focus on his game to be ready to transition into the NBA.
The almost comes in Jalen Bridges. The 6-7 junior forward withdrew from the draft. That was not unexpected. The wrinkle is that his agent is looking at opportunities for Bridges to play in Australia.
ESPN’s Draft Express reported Wednesday Bridges is fielding offers from several NBL teams as part of a “Next Stars” program. It’s unclear if there is a deadline for Bridges to decide on this. What became clear was Bridges was not going to get drafted.
However, Baylor doesn’t necessarily have to wait for an answer. Having Bridges, who played well during the Big 12 season and scored a career-high 28 points in the Big 12 quarterfinal tournament game against Iowa State, back on the roster would be a benefit.
That said, the Bears really need some help in the front court. The only options are Josh Ojianwuna and 2023 signee Yves Missi in the block. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is a wild card because of where he is coming back from catastrophic knee injury.
Two players Baylor is in the mix for are Tennessee 6-8 senior power forward Olivier Nkamhoua and North Dakota State 6-11 junior forward Grant Nelson.
Both were in the NBA draft before they withdrew on Wednesday and are coveted.
Nkamhoua was Tennessee’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points and second leading rebounder 5.0 points as the Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 in this past NCAA tournament. Kansas State, Michigan, Memphis and West Virginia among the others that are involved.
Nelson led the Bison in scoring (17.9) and rebounding (9.0). With his presence he shot 52 percent from the floor. And while NDSU is in the one-bid Summit League, he did show out against two NCAA tournament teams in Arkansas and Kansas in November. He scored 17 against the Razorbacks and 11 facing the Jayhawks.
Time will tell how that part will unfold.
But with Flagler’s decision known, that could open things up for Toledo transfer guard RayJ Dennis. Baylor was one of several involved in his recruitment along with Michigan and Illinois. The MAC 2022-23 Player of the Year visited Scott Drew’s program on Mother’s Day. He averaged 19.5 points per game for the Rockets.
A report from another recruiting service predicted Dennis would come to Baylor. Rivals national basketball team is working on it. We can say Baylor feels good about where it stands but nothing is guaranteed.
