Baylor

    
Entering his 21st season in 2023-24, Scott Drew is tied as the Big 12’s longest-tenured head coach and has notched a school-record 420 victories in his first 20 years, including a 29-11 postseason record since 2009.
    
Over the past 16 seasons, Drew has led Baylor to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, five Sweet 16 berths, three trips to the Elite Eight, the 2021 National Championship, the program’s first No. 1 national ranking in 2017, a Big 12 Conference-record 23-game winning streak in 2019-20, a five-week streak at No. 1 in 2020, and an entire season ranked in the nation’s top-3 in 2021 and another five-week streak at No. 1 in 2022.

Baylor joins Gonzaga as the only programs ranked No. 1 nationally in three of the last four seasons and is one of four programs to earn No. 1 national rankings in four of the last seven seasons, joining Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas. Baylor has averaged 24 wins per season since the first year Drew led BU to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, becoming one of the nation’s most consistent programs with active streaks of 16 straight seasons with at least 18 wins and 11 straight postseason appearances.
    
Drew has coached 14 players to All-America recognition in the last 16 seasons, including the first consensus first-team All-American in program history. His efforts have led to numerous coaching awards, including being named the 2017 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year, 2020 NBC Sports National Coach of the Year and 2023 John Wooden "Keys to Life" Award winner, as well as the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in three of the last four seasons. Drew joined Gene Keady (Purdue) and Jay Wright (Villanova) as the only high-major coaches to win three-straight conference coach of the year honors from 2020-22.
   
Baylor joins Kansas as the only Power-5 conference programs to record 18+ wins in every season since 2008. The Bears have made 11 consecutive postseason appearances, which is tied for the nation’s fifth-longest active streak and fourth-longest streak among Power-5 conference teams.
    
The Bears have been ranked in 15 of the last 16 seasons and reached No. 1 for the first time in program history after starting 15-0 in 2016-17. That year’s Bears became the fastest team in AP poll history to go from unranked in week 1 to No. 1 in week 9 and one of only four teams to go from preseason unranked to No. 1. That historic team featured only one senior and no top-50 national recruits according to 247Sports rankings.
    
Drew has led the Bears to marquee wins against some of the nation’s most successful programs over the last six seasons. The 2022-23 Bears beat back No. 8 UCLA in the Continental Tire Main Event, then followed that up with a 64-63 win over Gonzaga in the inaugural Peacock Classic, as well as wins over Big 12 foes, Kansas and Texas. The 2021-22 team posted a 17-point victory over Michigan State in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game, then followed with a dominating 57-36 victory over No. 6 Villanova, holding the Wildcats to their fewest points in the 21-year Jay Wright era. Baylor’s 2020-21 national title team went 7-0 against AP Top 10 teams, including wins over No. 5 Illinois, No. 9 Kansas, at No. 6 Texas, at No. 6 West Virginia, vs. No. 10 Arkansas, vs. No. 6 Houston and vs. No. 1 Gonzaga. The 2019-20 Bears defeated Villanova to win the Myrtle Beach Invitational title and notched non-conference wins over Arizona and Butler. BU’s 2018-19 squad ended Arizona’s 52-game non-conference home winning streak, out-rebounding the Wildcats 51-19, and went on to defeat Syracuse in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The 2017-18 Bears defeated Wisconsin and Creighton to win the Hall of Fame Classic. Baylor’s 2016-17 squad recorded wins over Louisville and Michigan State to win the Battle 4 Atlantis and defeated Xavier and Oregon as part of its four wins against top 10-ranked teams. Additionally, BU ended Kentucky’s 55-game home winning streak in 2012-13 and knocked off No. 3-ranked Kentucky in a rematch at AT&T Stadium a year later.
    
The Bears have reached the 20-win mark in 14 of the last 16 seasons since Drew engineered one of the greatest rebuilds in NCAA history. After he became Baylor’s head coach on Aug. 22, 2003, Drew spent the first four seasons establishing the program’s foundation. The Bears broke through in year five of the Drew era by winning 21 games and earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 20 seasons.
    
In addition to the 2021 National Championship, which included Baylor’s first Final Four appearance in 71 years, the Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2010, 2012 and 2021, made the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2021, won the 2013 NIT championship and advanced to the 2009 NIT championship game. BU also played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, marking its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988, and the Bears went to the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2014-17, marking the first consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Baylor was on track to earn the first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in program history with a 26-4 mark in 2019-20 before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Bears have since earned No. 1 seeds in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments. Had the 2020 tournament not been canceled, Baylor likely would have become the 11th team all-time to earn three-straight NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds.
    
Baylor’s 29-11 postseason record over the last 15 seasons is the nation’s fourth-best among teams with at least four NCAA Tournament appearances, trailing only North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke. The Bears posted a 6-0 record with three wins over AP Top 10 teams on their way to the 2021 National Championship. BU had 3-1 records on its way to the 2010 and 2012 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Baylor went 2-1 to advance to the 2014 and 2017 Sweet 16, posted a 4-1 mark en route to the 2009 NIT title game and went 5-0 to claim the 2013 NIT title. The Bears also went 1-1 in the 2019 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments and the 2018 NIT. Baylor’s 29 postseason wins since 2009 rank sixth nationally behind only North Carolina (39), Kentucky (34), Kansas (34), Duke (33) and Gonzaga (32).
    
Drew is the youngest of eight coaches nationally to lead his current team to five Sweet 16s since 2010. He is responsible for 29 of the program’s 31 all-time postseason wins. Baylor’s 29 postseason wins in the last 13 postseasons are more than twice as many as any other Texas program, with Texas Tech (13) the only other Lone Star State program with double-digit postseason wins.
    
Drew’s teams have posted 16 consecutive winning campaigns, averaging 25 wins per season during that stretch. He has a 440-244 head coaching record, including a 420-233 mark in 20 seasons at Baylor.
    
Baylor has also had 11 NBA Draft picks since 2012, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally. BU has also accounted for 11 of the 33 NBA Draft picks from Texas colleges in the last 11 seasons – the only other Texas programs with multiple draftees in that span are Texas (seven), Houston (four), SMU (three), Texas Tech (three), and Texas A&M (two).

The Utah Jazz selected Baylor guard Keyonte George with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, making Baylor the only program to have a top-16 pick in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts. Duke is the only other program with a top-20 pick in each draft during that same span.
    
Jeremy Sochan gave the Bears back-to-back years with top-10 picks and became the fourth lottery pick in program history when he was selected No. 9 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2022 NBA Draft. He was joined by Kendall Brown, who was selected at No. 48 overall by the Indiana Pacers via a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving Baylor its first consecutive drafts with multiple players chosen.
    
Davion Mitchell was drafted No. 9 overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2021 NBA Draft, becoming the third lottery pick in program history. He combined with Jared Butler, who was chosen No. 40 overall by the Utah Jazz through a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, to give the Bears multiple draft picks for the third time in program history.
    
Taurean Prince became the third-highest draft pick in program history when he was selected 12th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, through a trade with the Utah Jazz in the 2016 NBA Draft. Prince came to Baylor as an unranked recruit in the 2012 class, and he developed into the second lottery pick in program history. After averaging just 6.4 minutes per game as a freshman, Prince blossomed into a two-time All-Big 12 selection, played in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and graduated in four years.
    
A program-record three players were selected in the 2012 NBA Draft, as Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller were all chosen. Pierre Jackson was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013, and Cory Jefferson was picked by the Brooklyn Nets in 2014, giving the Bears five draftees over a three-year span. Additionally, Isaiah Austin was projected as a 2014 first-round pick before a pre-draft evaluation diagnosed him with Marfan’s Syndrome, a career-ending medical condition.
    
Drew made history earning his third-straight Big 12 Coach of the Year award as the Bears overcame numerous significant injuries to win their second-straight Big 12 title in 2021-22. Despite six of nine rotation players missing multiple conference games due to injury, including two season-ending injuries, the Bears recorded a 27-7 record and went 14-4 in Big 12 play to tie Kansas atop the league standings. The Bears started the season 15-0, becoming the first team since Syracuse in 2011-12 to begin consecutive seasons with 15-straight wins, and BU tied a school-record with five-straight weeks ranked No. 1 nationally. Baylor was ranked in the top-10 for the entire season, extending the school record to 49-straight polls top-10 ranked dating back to Dec. 16, 2019.
    
Baylor earned its second-straight NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in 2022. After rolling to a first-round win over Norfolk State, the Bears found themselves in a 25-point hole with 11 minutes remaining against North Carolina, before mounting a miraculous comeback to force overtime. With three players from the injury-depleted seven-man rotation fouling out, the Bears ran out of gas in OT and fell to the eventual national runner-up.
    
James Akinjo was named a third-team All-American, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, despite missing the final nine games after suffering a season-ending injury and Sochan was named Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner.
    
Drew picked up his second-consecutive Big 12 Coach of the Year award as Baylor posted a 28-2 record on its way to a National Championship in 2020-21. The Bears recorded a school-record 11 wins against AP Top 25 teams and a perfect 7-0 mark against top-10 teams. BU won its first National Championship, advanced to the third Final Four in program history and won its first conference title in 71 years. The Bears also posted the second-longest winning streak in program history and got off to the best start in school history with an 18-0 mark. A school-record three players earned All-America honors, as Jared Butler became the program’s first consensus first-team All-American, while Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague earned third-team All-America recognition. Mitchell was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by both the Naismith Trophy and NABC.
    
Baylor won each of its first 17 games by at least eight points, becoming the first team since 1990-91 UNLV to accomplish the feat. BU then had a three-week COVID pause, and the Bears took weeks to regain their championship form. In its first game back, Baylor overcame a 17-point deficit to come back to defeat Iowa State, but the Bears suffered their first loss in the following game at Kansas. BU bounced back with an overtime win at No. 6 West Virginia, clinching the program’s first Big 12 title. After three more wins, the Bears took their only other loss of the season against No. 12 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship semifinal.
    
Baylor began its national title run with a 79-55 win over Hartford, then punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 76-63 win over Wisconsin at famed Hinkle Fieldhouse. BU’s smothering defense helped it overcome a 7-point halftime deficit in the 62-51 Sweet 16 win over No. 18 Villanova, and the Bears earned their first Final Four trip in 71 season win an 81-72 victory over No. 10 Arkansas. Baylor took a commanding 45-20 halftime lead in the Final Four game against No. 6 Houston, punctuated with Mitchell’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, and the Bears rolled into the national title game with a 78-59 win. In the long-anticipated showdown with No. 1 Gonzaga, Baylor jumped out to a 9-0 lead and led by at least nine points for the game’s final 36 minutes in a dominating 86-70 victory. Butler led the way with 22 points, seven assists and no turnovers on his way to earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, while Teague added 19 points, Mitchell had 15 points and five assists and Adam Flagler added 13 points.
    
The 2019-20 Baylor team was likely the best in program history at the time, but its hopes of winning a national title were ended when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postseason being canceled while teams were at their conference tournament sites. Baylor finished the regular season with a 26-4 record, including a 23-game winning streak, which remains the longest by any team in the Big 12 Conference’s 25-year history. The Bears won a school-record 15 conference games, finished 15-3 in Big 12 play, and BU recorded its first win at Kansas, which was also the program’s first road win over a top-5 ranked opponent. Baylor spent five consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 nationally, which was the longest streak by any team since Kentucky in 2015.
    
Drew was named 2020 Big 12 Coach of the Year and 2020 USBWA District VII Coach of the Year, and he was tabbed as 2020 National Coach of the Year by NBC Sports. The 2019-20 Bears raked in conference awards, becoming the first team in Big 12 history to have all five starters earn All-Big 12 honors, Devonte Bandoo was named Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner and Mitchell was selected as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Additionally, Butler was a consensus third-team All-American, becoming the first BU underclassman to earn All-America status since Terry Teagle in 1980.
    
Baylor extended its school-record streak to eight consecutive postseason appearances and finished 20-14 in 2018-19. The Bears went from being picked ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll to finishing fourth in the league despite losing four projected starters to injuries throughout the year. BU was two games into Big 12 play when leading scorer Tristan Clark went down with a season-ending injury. After switching to a three-guard lineup, BU went on a six-game winning streak and earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where the Bears knocked off Syracuse in the first round before falling against No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
    
Baylor advanced to a seventh consecutive postseason appearance and finished with a 19-15 mark in 2017-18. The Bears advanced to the NIT second round before falling on a buzzer-beater against Mississippi State. Baylor was ranked as high as No. 16 nationally, extending a streak to 11 consecutive seasons ranked, the ninth-longest streak nationally at the time. After a slew of injuries led to a 2-7 start to conference play, Baylor rebounded with a five-game winning streak that included wins over No. 10 Kansas and No. 7 Texas Tech and a double-overtime win at Texas.
    
BU climbed to unprecedented heights during the 2016-17 season, achieving the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking on Jan. 9, 2017 after starting the year 15-0. BU entered the season unranked and receiving no votes, but nine weeks later the Bears achieved the fastest climb from unranked to No. 1 in AP Top 25 history. Johnathan Motley picked up MVP honors after leading Baylor to a comeback from 22 points down in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game win over Louisville, and he went on to become the first consensus All-American in program history.
    
Baylor knocked off four top-10 ranked opponents on its way to matching the school record with 25 regular season wins. BU also tied a school record with 13 consecutive weeks ranked in the nation’s top 10 and matched the best Big 12 finish in program history with a 12-6 record and a tie for second place. The Bears knocked off New Mexico State and USC to earn a trip to Madison Square Garden for their fourth Sweet 16 appearance since 2010. Drew’s squad finished the 2016-17 season ranked No. 12 nationally with a 27-8 record.
    
Baylor’s 2015-16 squad finished 22-12 for a school-record fifth consecutive 20-win season, and the Bears earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, marking a school-record third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. BU finished the season ranked No. 21 in the AP poll, the fourth-highest final ranking in program history, and Baylor was one of 13 teams to remain ranked in the coaches’ poll throughout the entire season, climbing as high as No. 13 nationally.
    
The 2014-15 BU team went 24-10 and tied the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history when it was awarded the No. 3 seed in the West Region. The tournament berth gave Baylor its first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
    
After entering the season unranked, the Bears climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP poll and were ranked for the season’s final 13 weeks. BU finished the season ranked 16th by the AP, which trailed only the No. 9 ranking in 2012 as the best final AP ranking in program history.
    
In 2013-14, Drew became Baylor’s all-time wins leader by earning his 202nd career victory with an 86-69 win against Texas in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. He led the Bears to dominating NCAA Tournament wins against No. 3 seed Creighton and No. 11 seed Nebraska, en route to a Sweet 16 berth for the third time in five seasons.
    
The 2013-14 team finished 26-12, including three straight Big 12 Championship wins to advance to the tournament title game for the third time in program history, and a win against No. 3-ranked Kentucky at Cowboys Stadium.
    
Drew led the 2012-13 Bears to 23 wins and the program’s first-ever postseason tournament title when they won five consecutive games to claim the 2013 NIT championship. Baylor also won at No. 8 Kentucky, snapping the Wildcats’ 55-game home winning streak, and BU handed Kansas a 23-point defeat, becoming the only team in NCAA history to beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena and defeat Kansas in the same season.
    
Baylor posted a school-record 30 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament South Regional final in 2011-12 -- making the Bears one of only six programs nationally with two Elite Eight appearances in the three-year span from 2010 to 2012. For the first time in program history, the Bears were ranked throughout the 2011-12 season, climbing as high as No. 3 and never dropping lower than 14th in the AP or coaches polls.

JOINING THE NATION'S ELITE
Drew’s program reached new heights in 2011-12, when the Bears advanced to their second Elite Eight in a three-season span and had a program-record three players selected in the 2012 NBA Draft. The trio of seniors on that team left as the winningest class in program history, as Fred Ellis, Acy and Anthony Jones led Baylor to 100 wins in their four seasons together. The 2011-12 Bears established school records for overall (30) and Big 12 Conference (12) wins, and they were ranked as high as No. 3 nationally after sprinting to the best start in school history (17-0).
    
Headlined by Jones III, Baylor’s 2010 recruiting class ranked No. 22 nationally by ESPN. PJ3 earned multiple freshman All-American honors, leading the Bears to an 18-13 mark. Baylor’s consensus top-20 recruiting class of 2011 featured high school teammates Miller and Deuce Bello, and Drew’s 2012 class, which featured three top-75 national recruits including consensus top-5 Austin, was ranked No. 4 nationally.
    
In 2010-11, senior LaceDarius Dunn became only the third player in program history to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors after becoming the Baylor and Big 12 all-time leading scorer. Dunn finished his stellar college career with 2,285 points and 388 3-point field goals.
    
Drew’s task of rebuilding the Baylor men’s basketball program reached a historic milestone during the 2009-10 season as the Bears advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in the NCAA Tournament’s modern era. Entering the season, the Bears were picked 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll after a trip to the 2009 NIT championship game. Behind All-Americans Tweety Carter, Dunn and Ekpe Udoh, Baylor won a then-school-record 28 games, including a school-best 11 Big 12 games. The Bears tied for second in the Big 12 standings - their best conference finish since 1988.
    
Baylor was ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for a then-school-record 10 consecutive weeks and concluded the 2009-10 season ranked 10th in the final ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches poll and 19th in the final AP Top 25 -- marking the first time Baylor was ranked in either season-ending poll.
    
Dunn shattered both Baylor’s single-season and career marks for 3-point field goals made. Udoh, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, annihilated both the Baylor and Big 12 single-season blocked shots record with 133 rejections. Udoh became the first NBA lottery pick in Baylor history when he was selected sixth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2010 NBA Draft. He also became only the fourth first-round NBA draft pick in program history and the first since Brian Skinner in 1998.
    
Drew was named the 2010 Division I Men’s Coach of the Year in the state of Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC).

PROGRAM’S CORNERSTONE CLASS LEAVES INDELIBLE MARK
Baylor’s fourth 20-win campaign in 2007-08 brought plenty of momentum, and the Bears became a national media staple during the 2008-09 season as the program set several school records. Baylor posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history, while advancing to its first Big 12 Championship title game, only to fall to Missouri. During its improbable postseason run, Baylor became the first No. 9 seed to advance to the Big 12 Championship title game.
    
Drew’s 2008-09 squad did something the 2007-08 Bears were unable to accomplish -- win a postseason game. The Bears notched the program’s first postseason victory since 1950 when they defeated Georgetown, 74-72, in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament in front of a raucous Ferrell Center crowd. However, Baylor’s postseason run did not stop there as the Bears snagged road wins at a pair of hostile arenas -- Virginia Tech and Auburn -- to advance to the National Invitation Tournament Final Four in New York City. Baylor reached the NIT championship game with a semifinal win over San Diego State at Madison Square Garden before falling to Penn State in the title game.
    
Baylor’s four postseason wins tied for the most in school history at the time. Seniors Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, Mamadou Diene and Kevin Rogers departed Baylor as the winningest class in school history with 64 wins, helping Baylor to the second-most wins in school history (24). In addition, Jerrells, Dugat and Rogers combined to score 4,420 career points in 119 games, accounting for 49.3 percent of Baylor’s offense in four seasons.
    
Baylor played a school-record 39 games, including a school-record 34 on television. Nineteen of those 34 games were televised nationally -- 18 on the ESPN family of networks. Prior to the 2008-09 season, Baylor had played just 14 games on the ESPN family of networks in the previous 11 seasons.
    
During the 2008-09 season, Baylor was ranked in the AP Top 25 for a then-school-record seven consecutive weeks and peaked at No. 19, one spot short of its highest ranking (No. 18 in 1969). The Bears were also ranked simultaneously in the AP and ESPN/USA TODAY Top 25 polls for the first time in school history.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
In his fifth season in Waco, Drew and the Baylor program turned the corner, posting just the fourth 20-win season in school history en route to its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1987-88.
    
The Bears’ success in 2007-08 brought national exposure to the reclamation project orchestrated by Drew and his staff. Media outlets praised the efforts of Drew and he was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year by Rivals.com and the District VII Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
    
Despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 by the league’s coaches, the Bears raced to a 12-2 non-conference record (including a Paradise Jam championship) and opened conference play 4-0. The 16-2 start was Baylor’s best since 1946 and resulted in the school’s first national ranking since 1969. The Bears finished with a 21-11 overall record and earned the school’s best-ever Big 12 finish with a fourth-place tie at 9-7.
    
Not to be outdone, Jerrells became just the second first-team All-Big 12 selection in Baylor history as he was named to the top squad by both the league’s coaches and The Associated Press. Baylor had three players named to the 2007-08 All-Big 12 team, tying the school record which was set during the inaugural Big 12 season in 1996-97. In May 2008, Diene became the first men’s basketball player and only second Baylor student-athlete to be named the Big 12’s Sportsperson of the Year.
    
In September 2008, the Dallas All Sports Association presented Drew with The Don Nelson Award for great achievement both on and off the court of play in the spirit of NBA player and coach Don Nelson.
    
Baylor’s place in the national men’s hoops spotlight carried over to 2008-09 as the Bears were featured on ESPN.com’s Preseason Top 25 by Andy Katz in June. Katz was just the beginning of the high projections for Baylor. Blue Ribbon picked the Bears No. 16 in its Preseason Top 25 poll, while CollegeHoops.net listed the Bears No. 17 overall and a possible Sweet 16 participant. Drew’s squad also garnered preseason top 30 consideration from Athlon (No. 19) and Rivals.com (No. 28).

THE PROGRAM’S FOUNDATION
Drew began his overhaul in 2003 when he took over a program decimated by tragedy, player departures, a depleted roster and NCAA restrictions. He slowly and methodically turned the program around by recruiting a solid foundation of talented high school players that, after earning valuable playing experience early in their careers, brought wins to Baylor as upperclassmen under Drew.
    
Drew’s recruiting success (three of his first four classes were rated among the top 20 nationally), particularly under less-than-ideal circumstances, stocked the program with top-100 national prospects and provided optimism to Bears fans.
    
Long considered a top-level national recruiter, Drew’s reputation was upheld immediately upon his arrival in Waco when his first three Baylor recruiting classes were rated 10th, 11th and 17th, respectively, in the nation -- widely considered Baylor’s top consecutive recruiting classes to that point. The three-player 2007 class, while not ranked among the nation’s top 20, did include the school’s highest-ranked recruit in memory -- Dunn, ranked 24th nationally by Scout.com.
    
In his first season in 2003-04, Drew inherited a team with half the allotted scholarship players and he added a handful of walk-ons. The team -- which was summarily dismissed by all preseason prognosticators as having no chance to be competitive and perhaps finish winless -- surprised everyone by winning eight games, including three Big 12 Conference contests.
    
Drew and his overachieving Bears finished the season 8-21 and won over Baylor fans and basketball fans alike with their scrappy play and no-quit attitudes. The team exceeded all expectations and Drew was praised for his efforts and mentioned in Big 12 Coach of the Year discussions.
    
In his second season, Drew took the court with the nation’s most inexperienced team (one returning scholarship player). The 2004-05 Bears fought their way to a better record than the previous season, 9-19, including an impressive 73-72 road win at Purdue.
    
In his third season, Drew’s 2005-06 Bears overcame perhaps their biggest challenge to date, when despite being banned from playing any non-conference games (due to violations of the previous coaching staff), Drew’s very young Baylor squad defied the odds and won four Big 12 games (matching its conference win total from the previous two seasons) and finished the abbreviated season 4-13. The Bears played through the early season handicap and made news in the latter half of the season with noticeably improved play, evidenced by wins in two of the final four games (two losses by a combined seven points) and wins in four of their final five home contests.
    
Drew’s 2006-07 squad showed glimpses of the success to come, when a team loaded with freshmen and sophomores played a full schedule and with a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons and posted a 15-16 record -- Baylor’s most wins in six years. The Bears finished the season with three wins in their final six games, including the school’s first victory in a Big 12 Championship game since 2001.

PRIOR TO BAYLOR
Success in the basketball world runs strong in the Drew family -- from Scott and brother Bryce (former NBA player and current Grand Canyon head coach) to father Homer (former head coach at Valpo).
    
Drew came to Baylor after a decade of coaching at Valparaiso, the final year as head coach. He led the 2002-03 Crusaders to a 20-11 record and into the NIT. Valpo earned the Mid-Continent Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league record.
    
The previous nine seasons, Drew served as an assistant at Valpo under his father, the legendary Homer Drew. He was promoted to associate head coach for the 2001-02 season. Drew coached his father’s 200th win at Valpo (against Oakland on Jan. 27, 2001) when Homer was ill.
    
In 10 seasons at Valpo, Scott Drew helped lead the program to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-98 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996 to 2000. The younger Drew was responsible for three national top-20 recruiting classes during his last five years at Valpo.
    
Drew was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision and helped produce what HoopScoop.com named the nation’s sixth-best recruiting class in 2001 (per average talent), the 13th-best in 1999 (per average talent) and the 27th-best in 2003 (per average talent), a class that included three top 100 national recruits.
    
Drew was part of the coaching staff that led Valpo to nine straight Mid-Con championships, including dual regular season and tournament titles in 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 2001-02. The Crusaders were regular season champs in 2000-01 and 2002-03, and won the conference tournament in 2000.
    
Drew was the driving force behind Valpo’s international pipeline that produced more than 10 players from Europe, Africa and South America from 1995 to 2003. He has European coaching experience, having served as head coach of the Athletes In Action team which toured Croatia and Bosnia in the summer of 1997. In August 1995, Drew assisted the AIA team that traveled to Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece.

PERSONAL
Drew is a former first vice president for the NABC Assistant Coaches Committee and previously served on the National Invitation Tournament advisory committee.
    
A 1993 graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, Drew earned a master’s degree from Valparaiso in 1994. Drew worked with Butler’s men’s basketball program from 1991-93.
    
Drew and his wife Kelly are the parents of one daughter, Mackenzie,  and two sons, Peyton and Brody.