Baylor Turnaround

[PonySoprano]

So in 2003, Baylor b-ball goes through a huge scandal, thanks in part to Dave Bliss and 7 years later they are #20 in the nation, have beat UT four times in a row, and they are looking at a possible #4 seed in the NCAAs. Is Scott Drew a genius or a crook? I assume he must be in bed with the AAU coaches. How are they doing it in Waco and why can't it be done in Dallas?

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Young kids today certainly remember Scott Drew's last second NCAA Tourney shot for Valpo, kids today ask North Carolina who? MJ what? BIG difference...and Waco, great little town, tons to do, a real destination point for the friends and family of these players, Dallas doesn't have that, only appeals to a small % of folks...tradition, Baylor has it, we don't...PLUS, we need to be comparing ourselves to Geo Tech, Northwestern, Duke, Wake, USC, Pitt, etc., smaller privates in big cities, a tough formula to sell.....What?, most of those teams are still in the hunt, nevermind...Matt..love ya bro, nice guy, good face, but...need work on the "grease board" side of the job description.

[RGV Pony]

Young kids today certainly remember Scott Drew's last second NCAA Tourney shot for Valpo,

that was Bryce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZiJWVoQvJM

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

I rest my case...thanks for making my point for me...

[ponydawg]

You're right, hire Bryce.

[sbsmith]

Young kids today certainly remember Scott Drew's last second NCAA Tourney shot for Valpo, kids today ask North Carolina who? MJ what? BIG difference...and Waco, great little town, tons to do, a real destination point for the friends and family of these players, Dallas doesn't have that, only appeals to a small % of folks...tradition, Baylor has it, we don't...PLUS, we need to be comparing ourselves to Geo Tech, Northwestern, Duke, Wake, USC, Pitt, etc., smaller privates in big cities, a tough formula to sell.....What?, most of those teams are still in the hunt, nevermind...Matt..love ya bro, nice guy, good face, but...need work on the "grease board" side of the job description.

Scott's younger brother Bryce hit the shot for Valpo in 1998 (Scott was an assistant on that team) Pitt and Georgia Tech aren't private institutions, SMU has been to 10 NCAA Tourneys to Baylor's 5 and has 14 conference championships compared to Baylor's 5 (so much for Baylor having more tradition than SMU) and as for Waco it isn't a destination point with "tons to do" for anyone but farmers and religious fanatics.

[FriscoPMG]

ontheedgeofmyseat - Can I please issue a SARCASM disclaimer on your post so folks stop taking it seriously?

[Longtime]

As someone else said, Baylor's recruiting tactics under Scott Drew are shady, shady, shady.

Now that Baylor has spanked UT four times in a row, watch out, Bears...

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Love ya FriscoPMG!!

[Billy Joe]

Baylor is $$$$ players and has an administration that allows them to get players in school and keep them eligible. SMU on the other hand ......

[SMU89]

Waco, great little town, tons to do, a real destination point for the friends and family of these players, Dallas doesn't have that, only appeals to a small % of folks

Interesting. I think Dallas is a great city and has a lot to offer -- a lot more than most.

As I have mostly only driven through Waco and maybe stopped at the highway Stuckeys for a little break, it sounds like I need to spend a few months in Waco to see all that it has vs. Dallas.

Any other destination hot-spots you recommend?

[CalallenStang]

Waco, great little town, tons to do, a real destination point for the friends and family of these players, Dallas doesn't have that, only appeals to a small % of folks

Interesting. I think Dallas is a great city and has a lot to offer -- a lot more than most.

As I have mostly only driven through Waco and maybe stopped at the highway Stuckeys for a little break, it sounds like I need to spend a few months in Waco to see all that it has vs. Dallas.

Any other destination hot-spots you recommend?

it was sarcasm

[SMU89]

Waco, great little town, tons to do, a real destination point for the friends and family of these players, Dallas doesn't have that, only appeals to a small % of folks

Interesting. I think Dallas is a great city and has a lot to offer -- a lot more than most.

As I have mostly only driven through Waco and maybe stopped at the highway Stuckeys for a little break, it sounds like I need to spend a few months in Waco to see all that it has vs. Dallas.

Any other destination hot-spots you recommend?

it was sarcasm

Don't mess with the Stuckeys pecan log roll.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Actually, Georges is a fun spot..a little chicken fried, a few Big O's..we used to drive down there from SMU for lunch, back in the day..what else...the Anna Nichole Smith exhibit is in Mexia, not far away, very interesting and educational...it is hard to compete with that town, that league, that degree, and Bryce Drew, the dude can still compete, makes practice fun...oh..Lake Whitney is nice this time of year.

[Sic_em]

I'm not sure why Doherty doesn't recruit the Metroplex as hard as he should. In the last three recruiting classes Baylor has gotten at least one local kid in each:

2008: Quincy Acy, Mesquite Horn - Quincy is young for his class...graduated HS at 17. His AAU coaches announced that they were going to reclassify him as a 2009 recruit and send him to prep school. Most schools put him on the backburner, but Drew stayed on top of the situation...Quincy graduated on time and got his test score and Baylor convinced him to go ahead and sign instead of waiting another year.

2009: Nolan Dennis, N. Crowley - a Memphis signee, but when Calipari took the UK job, Dennis asked for his release from the Tigers. Calipari did not invite Dennis to follow him to Kentucky,so Baylor visited him and talked him into committing.

2010: Perry Jones, Duncanville & Bakari Turner, Plano West - Baylor got on Jones very early, he had been a verbal commit since the end of his freshman year, long before he blew up on the national scene. Turner was Jones' AAU teammate and friend.

It's doubtful that Doherty could go out and immediately sign a 5-star like Perry, but he could be signing kids like Bakari or one of the Duncanville kids like Jamison Sterns (UTEP signee). Get your foot in the door locally, win some games, then you will have a shot at the really big local recruits.