By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The RJB did a little digging. For those of us old enough to remember, the instrumental piece “Popcorn” came out in 1972 and was an international hit.
Why?
Who the heck knows? The original was recorded in 1969 by the group First Moog Quartet. Ironically enough, a member of that group Stan Free broke off and formed his own band, Hot Butter. In 1972, they re-recorded a newer version of Popcorn. That’s the one that became an international hit. It was Top 10 in several European countries. In the United States, it topped out at No. 28.
Then you ask yourself, who would really want to cover this song and why?
Yet the European violinist Luvienne looked at this song and said, “I can do that.” And she did back in 2015. What she did was take a piece that’s now half century old and modernize it. In fact, it may sound better than the original. Here is the original. Here is the cover.
****
If there was just a part of you wondering if Baylor basketball was just a solid program that just happened have a great season in 2020-21 and nothing more beyond that, think again.
What this past week should have told you is that this program is on the cusp of elite status. Scott Drew has built what a lot of others want.
So much has happened to this team losing players to injury and having to reinvent itself on the fly if you will. But winning in overtime Monday at Oklahoma State, 66-64, and then coming home Saturday to hammer No. 5 Kansas, 80-70, should show you that Drew and his staff, the players and the will to play through any adversity is a sign that they just understand the everyday expectations and meet them.
That’s easier said than done.
There are only just a few of these programs that have established a level of expectations to where everybody knows that when you walk in the opponent’s building, the level of respect is complimented by the desire to beat you to where they want to storm the court.
Baylor is really close. Kansas is there. Duke is there. Gonzaga is there. UCLA is there.
What I’m trying to say is that while Baylor is not likely ever going to be considered a blue blood, it’s developing a reputation for being in the royalty of college basketball.
With the exception of UCLA, what’s the common denominator of those mentioned? Their coach has been there forever. Kansas has Bill Self. Duke who has Coach K who handpicked his successor in John Scheyer. Gonzaga has been tied to Mark Few since the late 1990s. Then there’s Baylor with Drew who has been in Waco since 2003.
A program becomes a program when the common denominator – the head coach – has become an institution and everything has been built, codified and established through him.
That’s what has been going on with Baylor under Drew. The program took that big step when the Bears went to the Elite 8 in 2010 before falling to Duke. However, the substance of the program was realized in 2012 with another trip to the Elite 8 before falling to Kentucky.
It showed 2010 wasn’t a one-hit wonder. While there was a dip in terms of NCAA tournament performances, Baylor still managed to make two other Sweet 16 apperances.
Making the climb is fun. Staying on top of the mountain? Well, that’s where the work comes in and the diligence of staying there becomes paramount. Drew and his staff and everyone connected to Baylor basketball has made the commitment.
Baylor is a must-see opponent.
Drew has always recruited good players. See Perry Jones and Isaiah Austin to name a couple.
However, I’m reminded of the summer after Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague had transferred in from Auburn and UNC-Ashville and had to sit out the 2018-19 season.
With Jared Butler already there, many of us in the media looked at that then-roster and felt like the 2018-19 season would be interesting. Actually, it was. Tristan Clark went down with a knee injury. Drew reinvented the team. Baylor got to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
However, we were anticipating what the 2019-20 season would be the one to watch. We thought this could be the group that takes things next level.
We weren’t wrong. That squad went 26-4 and was in prime position to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before the pandemic hit.
Of course, we know that what happened last year. Now, we look ahead to the close of this season and the race for consecutive NCs.
The brackets will be announced on March 13. Should the Bears do what we think they should, they’re going to be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. That means they will be given the opportunity to make another deep run. When you do this, you've earned your place at the table.
Following the meltdown at Texas Tech on Feb. 16, I’m not sure that would have been possible. But when you watch what happened Saturday with the Top 6 teams and seven of the Top 10 getting knocked off – the first time in college basketball history that’s happened – you may as well believe that the Bears have as good a chance as any of the others to make their push to get to New Orleans.
The fact that this team has found a way to keep itself in the Big 12 regular season title chase despite losing two key figures in Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and LJ Cryer (I know he’s not out for the season, but it feels that way) reveals the culture (of Joy) is the binding element.
These next two weeks are going to be fascinating to watch.
****
Big Monday is going to be a big night of double header watching for Baylor basketball. You have the No. 5 women traveling to Ames, IA to take on Iowa State (6:00 pm, ESPN2) with sole possession of first place in the Big 12 on the line.
A Baylor win would clinch the No. 1 seed and at least a share of the regular season title. The Bears would have swept the season series with the Cylones.
An Iowa State win makes for scoreboard watching on Saturday. The Cyclones play at West Virginia. Baylor then plays host to Texas Tech Sunday.
The No. 10 men follow at 8:00 pm to close out the tenure of the Erwin Center in Austin as they play Texas (ESPN). A Baylor win and the Bears would be tied with Kansas at nine games over .500 in the Big 12 standings. What’s interesting here is that after Texas, Baylor has only one game remaining, Saturday home to Iowa State.
Kansas plays at TCU Tuesday, is home to TCU Thursday and then plays host to Texas Saturday.
Should be a great week of tracking all of this.
****
I’m not ignoring football. But there’s not too much to talk about other than knowing that offensive line coach Eric Mateos appears to be out of the running for the vacancy at Georgia.
Once we get closer to the start of spring, we’ll get you ready for everything with some informative pieces.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
>The Baylor softball offense came alive in Sunday mornings matchup against San Diego, where the Bears (8-5) defeated the Toreros, 10-4 to close out the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Baylor went 2-2 in the tournament.
Lady Bears have a double header with Prairie View A&M beginning at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
>Baylor’s men’s golf is tied for 10th after Sunday’s first day of play at the Cabo Collegiate Invitational in Los Cabos, Mexico. The tournament runs through Tuesday.
> No. 4 Baylor men's tennis bested No. 20 Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon in Norman, 4-3, capped off by an impressive performance from Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi and milestone wins for Sven Lah.
The Bears improved to 14-1 on the season while they handed the Sooners their second loss of dual play. The Bears continue their seven-match road stretch with a trip to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Friday, March 4. The match is set to start at 6 p.m. CT from the Atkins Tennis Center.
>No. 17 Baylor Lady Bear Tennis (6-4) saw its four-match win streak come to an end as No. 39 UCF (5-5) defeated the Bears, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at the USTA National Campus. Baylor heads to Houston for a match against Rice on Wednesday. It is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
>Baylor women's golf will make its fifth appearance at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Monday morning at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Bears finished eighth in their last appearance at Long Cove Club in March of 2020, in what turned out to be the final event of the COVID-19-shortened season of 2019-20. The tournament runs through Wednesday.
> Baylor track and field wrapped up the 2022 Big 12 Indoor Championship in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday. The Bears ended with seven in the top-three positions for their events. The women finished fourth, while the men finished eighth.
Howard (Trey) Fields III completed his Big 12 gauntlet with a 46.16 personal-best race in the men's 400 meters. Fields is now the defending champion for both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships in the 400.
The women's 4x400 squad, comprised of Kavia Francis, Imaobong Uko, Aaliyah Miller and Mariah Ayers, finished in 3:32.77, over two seconds before the silver medalists from Texas Tech. That time sets the season-best for the women's 4x400 at Baylor, while also setting the fourth-fastest relay in school history.
The men's relay group that included Bedell, Matthew Moorer, Nathaniel Ezekiel and Fields finished their relay in second-place, while also setting the seventh-fastest 4x400 relay time in program history of 3:04.60.
The NCAA Indoor National Championships are slated for March 11-12 in Birmingham.
Let’s make it a great week!
Publisher
The RJB did a little digging. For those of us old enough to remember, the instrumental piece “Popcorn” came out in 1972 and was an international hit.
Why?
Who the heck knows? The original was recorded in 1969 by the group First Moog Quartet. Ironically enough, a member of that group Stan Free broke off and formed his own band, Hot Butter. In 1972, they re-recorded a newer version of Popcorn. That’s the one that became an international hit. It was Top 10 in several European countries. In the United States, it topped out at No. 28.
Then you ask yourself, who would really want to cover this song and why?
Yet the European violinist Luvienne looked at this song and said, “I can do that.” And she did back in 2015. What she did was take a piece that’s now half century old and modernize it. In fact, it may sound better than the original. Here is the original. Here is the cover.
****
If there was just a part of you wondering if Baylor basketball was just a solid program that just happened have a great season in 2020-21 and nothing more beyond that, think again.
What this past week should have told you is that this program is on the cusp of elite status. Scott Drew has built what a lot of others want.
So much has happened to this team losing players to injury and having to reinvent itself on the fly if you will. But winning in overtime Monday at Oklahoma State, 66-64, and then coming home Saturday to hammer No. 5 Kansas, 80-70, should show you that Drew and his staff, the players and the will to play through any adversity is a sign that they just understand the everyday expectations and meet them.
That’s easier said than done.
There are only just a few of these programs that have established a level of expectations to where everybody knows that when you walk in the opponent’s building, the level of respect is complimented by the desire to beat you to where they want to storm the court.
Baylor is really close. Kansas is there. Duke is there. Gonzaga is there. UCLA is there.
What I’m trying to say is that while Baylor is not likely ever going to be considered a blue blood, it’s developing a reputation for being in the royalty of college basketball.
With the exception of UCLA, what’s the common denominator of those mentioned? Their coach has been there forever. Kansas has Bill Self. Duke who has Coach K who handpicked his successor in John Scheyer. Gonzaga has been tied to Mark Few since the late 1990s. Then there’s Baylor with Drew who has been in Waco since 2003.
A program becomes a program when the common denominator – the head coach – has become an institution and everything has been built, codified and established through him.
That’s what has been going on with Baylor under Drew. The program took that big step when the Bears went to the Elite 8 in 2010 before falling to Duke. However, the substance of the program was realized in 2012 with another trip to the Elite 8 before falling to Kentucky.
It showed 2010 wasn’t a one-hit wonder. While there was a dip in terms of NCAA tournament performances, Baylor still managed to make two other Sweet 16 apperances.
Making the climb is fun. Staying on top of the mountain? Well, that’s where the work comes in and the diligence of staying there becomes paramount. Drew and his staff and everyone connected to Baylor basketball has made the commitment.
Baylor is a must-see opponent.
Drew has always recruited good players. See Perry Jones and Isaiah Austin to name a couple.
However, I’m reminded of the summer after Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague had transferred in from Auburn and UNC-Ashville and had to sit out the 2018-19 season.
With Jared Butler already there, many of us in the media looked at that then-roster and felt like the 2018-19 season would be interesting. Actually, it was. Tristan Clark went down with a knee injury. Drew reinvented the team. Baylor got to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
However, we were anticipating what the 2019-20 season would be the one to watch. We thought this could be the group that takes things next level.
We weren’t wrong. That squad went 26-4 and was in prime position to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before the pandemic hit.
Of course, we know that what happened last year. Now, we look ahead to the close of this season and the race for consecutive NCs.
The brackets will be announced on March 13. Should the Bears do what we think they should, they’re going to be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. That means they will be given the opportunity to make another deep run. When you do this, you've earned your place at the table.
Following the meltdown at Texas Tech on Feb. 16, I’m not sure that would have been possible. But when you watch what happened Saturday with the Top 6 teams and seven of the Top 10 getting knocked off – the first time in college basketball history that’s happened – you may as well believe that the Bears have as good a chance as any of the others to make their push to get to New Orleans.
The fact that this team has found a way to keep itself in the Big 12 regular season title chase despite losing two key figures in Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and LJ Cryer (I know he’s not out for the season, but it feels that way) reveals the culture (of Joy) is the binding element.
These next two weeks are going to be fascinating to watch.
****
Big Monday is going to be a big night of double header watching for Baylor basketball. You have the No. 5 women traveling to Ames, IA to take on Iowa State (6:00 pm, ESPN2) with sole possession of first place in the Big 12 on the line.
A Baylor win would clinch the No. 1 seed and at least a share of the regular season title. The Bears would have swept the season series with the Cylones.
An Iowa State win makes for scoreboard watching on Saturday. The Cyclones play at West Virginia. Baylor then plays host to Texas Tech Sunday.
The No. 10 men follow at 8:00 pm to close out the tenure of the Erwin Center in Austin as they play Texas (ESPN). A Baylor win and the Bears would be tied with Kansas at nine games over .500 in the Big 12 standings. What’s interesting here is that after Texas, Baylor has only one game remaining, Saturday home to Iowa State.
Kansas plays at TCU Tuesday, is home to TCU Thursday and then plays host to Texas Saturday.
Should be a great week of tracking all of this.
****
I’m not ignoring football. But there’s not too much to talk about other than knowing that offensive line coach Eric Mateos appears to be out of the running for the vacancy at Georgia.
Once we get closer to the start of spring, we’ll get you ready for everything with some informative pieces.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
>The Baylor softball offense came alive in Sunday mornings matchup against San Diego, where the Bears (8-5) defeated the Toreros, 10-4 to close out the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Baylor went 2-2 in the tournament.
Lady Bears have a double header with Prairie View A&M beginning at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
>Baylor’s men’s golf is tied for 10th after Sunday’s first day of play at the Cabo Collegiate Invitational in Los Cabos, Mexico. The tournament runs through Tuesday.
> No. 4 Baylor men's tennis bested No. 20 Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon in Norman, 4-3, capped off by an impressive performance from Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi and milestone wins for Sven Lah.
The Bears improved to 14-1 on the season while they handed the Sooners their second loss of dual play. The Bears continue their seven-match road stretch with a trip to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Friday, March 4. The match is set to start at 6 p.m. CT from the Atkins Tennis Center.
>No. 17 Baylor Lady Bear Tennis (6-4) saw its four-match win streak come to an end as No. 39 UCF (5-5) defeated the Bears, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at the USTA National Campus. Baylor heads to Houston for a match against Rice on Wednesday. It is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
>Baylor women's golf will make its fifth appearance at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Monday morning at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Bears finished eighth in their last appearance at Long Cove Club in March of 2020, in what turned out to be the final event of the COVID-19-shortened season of 2019-20. The tournament runs through Wednesday.
> Baylor track and field wrapped up the 2022 Big 12 Indoor Championship in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday. The Bears ended with seven in the top-three positions for their events. The women finished fourth, while the men finished eighth.
Howard (Trey) Fields III completed his Big 12 gauntlet with a 46.16 personal-best race in the men's 400 meters. Fields is now the defending champion for both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships in the 400.
The women's 4x400 squad, comprised of Kavia Francis, Imaobong Uko, Aaliyah Miller and Mariah Ayers, finished in 3:32.77, over two seconds before the silver medalists from Texas Tech. That time sets the season-best for the women's 4x400 at Baylor, while also setting the fourth-fastest relay in school history.
The men's relay group that included Bedell, Matthew Moorer, Nathaniel Ezekiel and Fields finished their relay in second-place, while also setting the seventh-fastest 4x400 relay time in program history of 3:04.60.
The NCAA Indoor National Championships are slated for March 11-12 in Birmingham.
Let’s make it a great week!
