-Matt Cox

Key Returners: Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, Mark Vital, Tristan Clark, Matthew Mayer, Flo Thamba
Key Losses: Freddie Gillespie
Key Newcomers: Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (UNLV), Adam Flager (Presbyterian), Dain Dainja, LJ Cryer 

Lineup:

Outlook: Scott Drew, pull up a chair. You’ve been officially admitted to the elite coaches’ roundtable.

We all remember the dated perception of Drew: Elite talent acquirer but dull X&O tactician. After last season’s brilliant work with the clipboard, I hereby pronounce that narrative dead. The Bears trotted out a lineup that featured a Division III transfer (Freddie Gillespie) and Big South transfer (MaCio Teague) – not exactly the talent pool you’d expect from a surefire top-5 team – while once dominant post stalwart Tristan Clark slowly faded into oblivion.

Turns out, none of that mattered because Drew pitched a perfect game.

Rather than stick to his traditional size-obsessed formula, Drew tapped into a smaller, versatile lineup that demoralized opponents on both sides of the ball. Jared Butler was the white knight offensively, but the collective cavalry of guards (Teague, Davion Mitchell, and Devonte Bandoo) tormented defenders with continuous penetration and pointed playmaking. The myriad of dual-threat scorers attacking from multiple angles prevented defenses from stacking the deck against Butler, who seemingly mutated into an All American overnight. Any one of that fearsome foursome had the chops to go for 20 on any given night. 

Defensively, Drew eradicated his longstanding amorphous zone structure and rebuilt a devastating man-to-man scheme. The nation’s fourth best defense was predicated on increasingly popular “no middle” principles, which shades all drivers toward the baseline and corners. However, the Xs and Os are only as good as the Jimmy and Joes, and Drew deployed above average to elite individual defenders at all five positions.

If the Bears hope to replicate last year’s defensive dominance, replacing Freddie Gillespie must be the first order of business. Carving out a spot in the rotation for a national title contender was a monumental achievement in and of itself for the former Division III up transfer. But with Clark laboring all year with an aching knee, Gillespie became more than just a feel-good story – he became a necessity. Gillespie learned how to weaponize his long arms and nimble feet to become a defensive destroyer. This clip below exemplifies Gillespie’s closing speed and quick burst off the floor, a vital ingredient in Drew’s new switch-everything man-to-man.

As invaluable as Gillespie was, the Bears are equipped to forge ahead without him. The human bowling ball Mark Vital, the deceptively effective Matthew Mayer and the ever-reliable Flo Thamba headline the incumbents up front. Two stud incoming freshmen, 6’8 Dain Dainja (#56 overall; 4-star) and 7’0 Zach Loveday (#122 overall; 3-star), as well as lauded defensive swiss army knife Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, will bolster an already sturdy foundation.

Of all the newcomers, ‘JTT’ may shine the brightest. He doesn’t measure up to Gillespie’s 6’10 height and 7’6 wingspan, but Drew considers him to be the superior athlete, evidenced by a 40-inch vertical leap. Of that deep stable of forwards, JTT is the one who most closely mirrors Gillespie’s game.

Keep in mind that Vital is the critical connector piece, versatile enough to flourish in both small-ball and bully-ball lineups. He routinely steals extra possessions on offense as a demolition ball on the boards, while his explosive lateral quickness makes him highly switchable on defense.

A bird’s eye view of the roster shows a slight tilt from last year’s guard-heavy rotation to a forward-laden rotation. Last year, Drew effectively hit the jackpot with the Butler, Mitchell, Teague and Bandoo quartet, which simultaneously unlocked a dynamic offense and swarming defense with minimal tradeoffs on either end. Only Bandoo departs, but Drew has two viable options in the hopper in Big South import Adam Flager and top-60 freshman LJ Cryer.

I saved the toughest riddle for last, Tristan Clark, a dominant force turned injury-ridden skeleton. Clark was the Bears’ number one option on offense in 2019, but an ailing knee kept him in the bullpen for much of the 2020 campaign. In CJ Moore’s summer breakdown of Baylor’s offseason to-do list, Drew shed some light on Clark’s outlook heading into 2021:

“The rest has been good for him,” Drew said of the sudden end to the season. “Hopefully this year has been a transition to get him back to where he was.”

Drew was hesitant last offseason to speculate Clark when would return to form, and he remains cautious.

“Without us having a chance to work with him in a while and seeing how he’s progressing throughout the summer, it’d be hard to speculate where he is and what he can do,” he said.

Bottom Line: One could argue that everything simply broke right for Baylor last year. No one could’ve predicted Butler, Teague, Gillespie and the rest of the crew would simultaneously take giant strides, which culminated in a near fairy tale season. Take note of the neon sign flashing overhead (‘REGRESSION’), which makes me balk at anointing the Bears the Big-12 crown by default.

That said, this team still has one of the highest floors in the country. Most of the cornerstone pieces remain and Drew’s proven he can manage a diverse roster with a slew of positional variations. I’d be shocked if we aren’t talking about Baylor as a top-2 seed by tournament time (whenever that is and whatever that looks like).