By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
There is something about a repeat that earns respect across the sports landscape. But when it comes to a threepeat, well that’s in a different stratosphere.
Scott Drew’s basketball program is in pursuit of a third straight Big 12 title as the 2022-23 season looms. The 2020-21 crown was outright, while 2021-22 was shared with Kansas.
Indeed, Baylor wants more than just a conference crown. The Bears are looking for a second national title in three seasons.
As the No. 5 Bears open the journey at 11:00 a.m. Monday against Mississippi Valley State in the Ferrell Center, the roster features another young but wildly talented roster.
There’s veteran leadership in the backcourt. There are transfers expected to fill gaps left by those who transferred, declared for the NBA draft or graduated. Gone are Matthew Mayer (Illinois), Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs), Kendall Brown (Indiana Pacers) and James Akinjo (NBA G League – NY Knicks).
The additions are national standout Keyonte George, freshman big Josh Ojianwuna, JUCO transfer Dantwan Grimes, West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges and BYU transfer Caleb Lohner.
Baylor finished 2021-22 at 27-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before being upset by eventual national finalist North Carolina.
With that, a look at the Bears.
Guards
The backcourt for this team will feature two sharp shooters who are solid with the ball. Senior Adam Flagler (13.5) was one of the best from the arc at 38.7 percent and finished with a near 2-to-1 assists to turnover ratio.
Obviously, the speculation will always remain what this team could have been like had LJ Cryer been healthy. A foot injury that surfaced toward the end of January derailed his season and reduced the number of deep threats. Now that he is all the way back, Cryer could be that dagger shooter. He left the season shooting nearly 47 percent from 3-point range and nearly 48 percent for the season. Drew can play him anywhere.
With George, he’s a big guard who is as gifted with the ball in his hands as he is without it. He’ll slash, break ankles with his crossover, up for threes and crash the glass when he needs to.
Baylor may not have a designated point guard because of how well these three handle it. With Grimes, he can handle it but may be a pretty decent defender. Averaging 14.7 points is good. Averaging 4.7 steals is better.
Then there’s the mystery candidate Langston Love, who missed all of last year with his torn ACL. He’s built like George and can do the same things as George. It might take some time to shake off the rust.
Front court
Addition by subtraction is typically not used in the form of flattery. But when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua blew out his knee in February against Texas, it forced Flo Thamba to be more than a role big. He had to be a presence on both ends of the floor.
Thamba did that finishing averaging 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He scored seven more points in 11 of the last 12 games and was in double figures six times.
He’s going to be asked to do the same if not a little more since JTT is likely not expected to play this year. If JTT does somehow return, it would be late in the season.
Bridges is a slasher who was the Mountaineers’ second leading rebounder last year (4.6) and a role scorer (8.4). If he does that consistently, then he more than fills the gap left by Sochan. Lohner is likely one to come off the bench to the one that takes over Mayer’s spot.
Bench
It’s probably going to be a combination of Dale Bonner, Grimes, Love, Ojianwuna and Lohner who will be the options. Bonner had some good moments. Lohner will add some productive minutes. Ojianwuna probably will be like a lot of young bigs – look lost at the start and then eventually find their comfort zone toward the end of the season.
Schedule
Baylor’s non-conference schedule includes No. 18 Virginia in Las Vegas on Nov. 18 in the Continental Tire Main Event. The Bears will face then either No. 8 UCLA or No. 23 Illinois on Nov. 20. Baylor’s Big 12/Big East Challenge will be trip to Milwaukee on Nov. 29 to play Marquette. Three days later on Dec. 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. is a meeting with No. 2, 2021 national finalist opponent and possible future Big 12 cohort Gonzaga. The Big 12/SEC Challenge is Jan. 28 with No. 10 Arkansas at the Ferrell Center. These former SWC foes met in the 2021 Elite 8.
The Big 12 season opens Dec. 31 at Iowa State. Key dates with Kansas are Jan. 23 at the Ferrell Center and Feb. 18 at the Allen Fieldhouse. Key dates with Texas are Jan. 30 in Austin at the new Moody Center and Feb. 25 in Waco. Key dates with TCU are Jan. 4 in Waco, and Feb. 11 in Fort Worth. These are the projected top four teams in the league. The first Drew-Jerome Tang meeting is Jan. 7 when Kansas State visits.
Projected lineup
Your publisher rarely gets this right. But here’s a crack at it.
Guards – Flagler, George, Cryer
Forwards – Thamba, Bridges
Season forecast
We saw how injuries to Cryer and JTT eventually caught up with this team and led to an earlier ouster in the NCAA tournament than most would have imagined. Health is always the X-factor. But I don’t see why this team won’t be good for a third consecutive conference title, shared or outright this year, with the minimum of them playing in the Elite 8. That’s right, I said minimum.
Get used to it. Baylor is one of the new blue bloods of college basketball.
Publisher
There is something about a repeat that earns respect across the sports landscape. But when it comes to a threepeat, well that’s in a different stratosphere.
Scott Drew’s basketball program is in pursuit of a third straight Big 12 title as the 2022-23 season looms. The 2020-21 crown was outright, while 2021-22 was shared with Kansas.
Indeed, Baylor wants more than just a conference crown. The Bears are looking for a second national title in three seasons.
As the No. 5 Bears open the journey at 11:00 a.m. Monday against Mississippi Valley State in the Ferrell Center, the roster features another young but wildly talented roster.
There’s veteran leadership in the backcourt. There are transfers expected to fill gaps left by those who transferred, declared for the NBA draft or graduated. Gone are Matthew Mayer (Illinois), Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs), Kendall Brown (Indiana Pacers) and James Akinjo (NBA G League – NY Knicks).
The additions are national standout Keyonte George, freshman big Josh Ojianwuna, JUCO transfer Dantwan Grimes, West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges and BYU transfer Caleb Lohner.
Baylor finished 2021-22 at 27-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before being upset by eventual national finalist North Carolina.
With that, a look at the Bears.
Guards
The backcourt for this team will feature two sharp shooters who are solid with the ball. Senior Adam Flagler (13.5) was one of the best from the arc at 38.7 percent and finished with a near 2-to-1 assists to turnover ratio.
Obviously, the speculation will always remain what this team could have been like had LJ Cryer been healthy. A foot injury that surfaced toward the end of January derailed his season and reduced the number of deep threats. Now that he is all the way back, Cryer could be that dagger shooter. He left the season shooting nearly 47 percent from 3-point range and nearly 48 percent for the season. Drew can play him anywhere.
With George, he’s a big guard who is as gifted with the ball in his hands as he is without it. He’ll slash, break ankles with his crossover, up for threes and crash the glass when he needs to.
Baylor may not have a designated point guard because of how well these three handle it. With Grimes, he can handle it but may be a pretty decent defender. Averaging 14.7 points is good. Averaging 4.7 steals is better.
Then there’s the mystery candidate Langston Love, who missed all of last year with his torn ACL. He’s built like George and can do the same things as George. It might take some time to shake off the rust.
Front court
Addition by subtraction is typically not used in the form of flattery. But when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua blew out his knee in February against Texas, it forced Flo Thamba to be more than a role big. He had to be a presence on both ends of the floor.
Thamba did that finishing averaging 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He scored seven more points in 11 of the last 12 games and was in double figures six times.
He’s going to be asked to do the same if not a little more since JTT is likely not expected to play this year. If JTT does somehow return, it would be late in the season.
Bridges is a slasher who was the Mountaineers’ second leading rebounder last year (4.6) and a role scorer (8.4). If he does that consistently, then he more than fills the gap left by Sochan. Lohner is likely one to come off the bench to the one that takes over Mayer’s spot.
Bench
It’s probably going to be a combination of Dale Bonner, Grimes, Love, Ojianwuna and Lohner who will be the options. Bonner had some good moments. Lohner will add some productive minutes. Ojianwuna probably will be like a lot of young bigs – look lost at the start and then eventually find their comfort zone toward the end of the season.
Schedule
Baylor’s non-conference schedule includes No. 18 Virginia in Las Vegas on Nov. 18 in the Continental Tire Main Event. The Bears will face then either No. 8 UCLA or No. 23 Illinois on Nov. 20. Baylor’s Big 12/Big East Challenge will be trip to Milwaukee on Nov. 29 to play Marquette. Three days later on Dec. 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. is a meeting with No. 2, 2021 national finalist opponent and possible future Big 12 cohort Gonzaga. The Big 12/SEC Challenge is Jan. 28 with No. 10 Arkansas at the Ferrell Center. These former SWC foes met in the 2021 Elite 8.
The Big 12 season opens Dec. 31 at Iowa State. Key dates with Kansas are Jan. 23 at the Ferrell Center and Feb. 18 at the Allen Fieldhouse. Key dates with Texas are Jan. 30 in Austin at the new Moody Center and Feb. 25 in Waco. Key dates with TCU are Jan. 4 in Waco, and Feb. 11 in Fort Worth. These are the projected top four teams in the league. The first Drew-Jerome Tang meeting is Jan. 7 when Kansas State visits.
Projected lineup
Your publisher rarely gets this right. But here’s a crack at it.
Guards – Flagler, George, Cryer
Forwards – Thamba, Bridges
Season forecast
We saw how injuries to Cryer and JTT eventually caught up with this team and led to an earlier ouster in the NCAA tournament than most would have imagined. Health is always the X-factor. But I don’t see why this team won’t be good for a third consecutive conference title, shared or outright this year, with the minimum of them playing in the Elite 8. That’s right, I said minimum.
Get used to it. Baylor is one of the new blue bloods of college basketball.
