By Kenneth Cross
Before Baylor won the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the Bears finished 27-7 and won the Big 12 regular season title last season. However, the Bears were upset in overtime, 93-86, by North Carolina in the second round of the past NCAA Tournament and now, they look for another deep trip through the tournament this season.
Coach Scott Drew lost four starters from that team as Kendall Brown was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Indiana Pacers while Jeremy Sochan stayed in Texas as he was chosen with the 19th pick in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Matthew Mayer transferred to Illinois and leading scorer James Akinjo played in the NBA Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks.
Adam Flagler (13.8 ppg, 3.0 apg) will be a primary contributor in the Bears’ backcourt as he was second-team all-Big 12 and is one of the toughest matchups in the game because he can score, but also distribute at the same level.
Flagler will team with LJ Cryer and five-star freshman Keyonte George in the backcourt. Cryer played in only 19 games and he had to have surgeries on both feet.
George is a solid scorer with deft touch who can score from each part of the floor and he can also operate the Bears’ offense off the dribble. The wing guard starred at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and picked the Bears over Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and NC State.
Watch redshirt-freshman Langston Love, who was out for all of last season with a torn ACL, as he is a four-star player and came out of Monteverde Academy in Florida.
Dale Bonner will help to secure Baylor’s backcourt depth as he averaged 17.3 minutes as a role player off the bench.
West Virginia transfer Jalen Bridges has the athleticism to be able to guard multiple positions. On offense, he started 51 of 61 games at WVU and shot 45 percent from the field.
The return of Flo Thamba and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua to the post gives the athleticism and experience that the Bears need to defend in the Big 12.
Tchamwa Tchatchoua led Baylor with 6.8 rebounds last season while he shot 67.7 percent from the floor and averaged 8.4 points. Thamba scores inside as well with a 54.5 percent percentage and he was also the third leading rebounder at 5.6 per game.
Drew has increased his depth in the paint with Wyoming transfer Caleb Lohner and freshman Josh Ojuanwuna. Lohner started 31 of 35 games for the Cowboys last season and was a key rebounder with 6.7 per game while Ojuanwuna is another athlete on the inside that can defend or score.
The Big 12 will once again be a deep and talented conference which will find Baylor with its usual influx of talent and the ability to potentially win the league and carry itself further.