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August 10th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Baylor Bears
Overall Rank:
#92
Conference
Rank: #8 Big 12
2005-06:
4-13, 4-12, 12th
2005-06
postseason: none
 After dealing
with sanctions brought on by the previous administration, Coach
Scott Drew and his Baylor Bears finally have full scholarships
available and will play a full season. Last year’s squad was
young and the whole lack of a non-conference schedule thing
proved to be troublesome. With everything finally back to
normal, the Bears are ready to hit the post season.
Who’s Out:
Big
man Tommy Swanson started all 17 games last year, averaging 6.6
points and 4.8 rebounds. The frontcourt isn’t as talented as
the backcourt, but there are still plenty of options to fill in
for Swanson’s production. Seldom used guard Kevis Shipman has
also run out of eligibility.
Who’s In:
This is
where it gets good and it all starts with the first ever
McDonald’s All-American to play at Baylor. Demond ‘Tweety’
Carter is a scoring point guard who is sort-of the top scoring
high school player in history. The 5-10 LaPlace, Louisiana
product scored 7,457 points in six varsity seasons. It’s those
7th and 8th grade scoring numbers which
make that record not quite official. In any event, the man can
shoot. He’ll make an immediate impact, but don’t expect him to
unseed any returning starters in the backcourt quite yet. Josh
Lomers, a 7-1 center, already has enough offensive skills to
contribute to the Baylor frontcourt. His overall skills will
develop and, in time, he will be a force in the Big XII.
Djibril ‘Penny’ Thiam is a versatile wing who can fill in some
minutes in any position from one to four. A late growth spurt
sent the athletic slasher up to 6-8 and with his limited playing
experience, the potential is great for a productive career in
Waco. Jari Vanttaja, a native of Finland, redshirted last
season. The 6-10, 220 pound power forward will supply some more
depth up front.
Who to Watch:
The
backcourt is terrific, which is why a player like Carter won’t
find it easy to find a starting gig right away. Curtis Jerrells
and Aaron Bruce are a formidable backcourt duo. Jerrells led
the squad with 13.5 points and 3.3 assists. Bruce, who was in a
bit of sophomore slump after a tremendous freshman campaign, was
right behind him with 13.1 points and 3.2 assists. With an
increasingly difficult to bench Patrick Fields and emerging
sophomore Henry Dugat forming last years top four scorers, there
will be no concerns on the perimeter.
Final
Projection:
It’s a different
story up front. Lefty Kevin Rogers showed plenty of potential
as a freshman and Tim Bush and Mamadou Diene have starting
experience, but none are dynamic scorers. Rogers has the
capability to put up big numbers in the scoring column, yet it
remains to be seen if that potential turns into something a
little more concrete. Bush has done all the dirty work at the
small forward spot for the last two seasons and will continue to
do so whether he starts or not. Diene won’t score much, but it
is his team high 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks that will impose
fear on the opposition. It will be nice to see the Baylor team
develop over an entire season. Despite returning so many
players, it is still a relatively young team that is
underclassmen heavy. The reduced number of teams in the NIT
this year might become bothersome to Baylor, but expect bigger
and better things soon.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected
Starting Five:
Curtis Jerrells,
Sophomore, Guard, 13.5 points per game
Aaron Bruce,
Junior, Guard, 13.1 points per game
Patrick Fields,
Senior, Guard, 8.1 points per game
Kevin Rogers,
Sophomore, Forward, 6.1 points per game
Mamadou Diene,
Sophomore, Center, 3.2 points per game
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