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Transitioning into a new era

Nov. 13, 2009

Sarah Groman | Staff Photographer Members of the Bear Pit cheer on the men's basketball team during their 86-71 exhibition victory against the Bronchos. The Bear Pit was established in 2005.

With three starters departed, Baylor is searching for niche

By Justin Baer
Sports editor

As four-year starters, Curtis Jerrells and Kevin Rogers became synonymous with Baylor basketball. The two, along with Henry Dugat, were paramount in the program's resurrection.

The trio's presence on the floor became methodical game-in and game-out, but all three graduated in May as the winningest-class in Baylor men's basketball history.

With an influx of newcomers donning the Baylor green-and-gold for the first time in 2009, head coach Scott Drew's role has been relegated to assuring his inexperienced squad is in position--physically and mentally, to at least duplicate, if not surmount, the success accomplished by the 2008-2009 NIT finalist squad.

"I think they set the foundation and raised the expectations for what the Baylor basketball players themselves expect on the court," Drew said of the graduated class. "It's an opportunity for other people to step in and assume some of those roles."

The three players left behind a formidable squad, most notably LaceDarius Dunn, capable of filling the voids left by last year's seniors.

The Monroe, La., junior, who has 1,035 career points, is on pace to threaten Terry Teagle's 27-year scoring record of 2,189 points. While Dunn confesses his admiration for shooting the ball, he committed himself in the offseason to advancing his skills advantageous to other facets of the game.

"I am still working on the passing and defense; I am working on that really hard to develop better that this year than the last two years," Dunn said. "Without Curtis this year, I am going to have to put the ball on the floor more than I did last year, so I am really working on my dribbling."

The Bears also return poised veterans such as Reserve, La., senior Tweety Carter and Boerne senior Josh Lomers. Carter entered Baylor in 2006 as the program's first McDonald's All-American.

While his responsibilities have been diverted amongst a deep set of guards in seasons past, Carter recognizes his role has been amplified to an unsung leader of this season's squad.

"I take on any challenges. I always have, and I am ready for it," Carter said. "With the help of my teammates, it's going to be fine. I just have to take every game the same."

Despite a group of savvy veterans returning to Ferrell Center hardwood, Big 12 coaches projected Baylor to finish 10th in the conference in the preseason poll.

While Drew is disappointed with the low pick, he affirmed to the media that rankings are irrelevant (as evidenced by last season's squad that finished ninth in the conference after being predicted to finished third.)

"Obviously you always want to be picked higher," Drew said. "At the same time, we all know that preseason polls don't mean anything, it's how you finish up. It will be great motivation throughout the year for us to try to prove people wrong. At the same time we know we lost a lot, and we know we have a lot to overcome."

The upperclassmen are joined by a plethora of newcomers, none more anticipated than University of Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh.

Udoh garnered a selection to the Big Ten All-Defensive team his sophomore year and left the program third on the all-time shot-block list but hasn't played in nearly two years because of the NCAA's policy on transfers.

"Last year when practiced started up, I didn't have anything to look forward to except for just practicing," Udoh said. "Now I have to start getting ready for a game, and I have to play a part of this team to get us ready.

The stature of Drew's recruiting class accentuates Baylor's transition to a longer and more athletic team.

Nolan Dennis, a former commit to the University of Memphis, is a versatile 6-foot-5 guard with a promising chance of starting, while Cory Jefferson, a Central Texas native, showed Rogers-esque tendencies in the Bears' exhibition Nov. 5.

"One thing this year is I think defensively and rebound-wise we have an opportunity to be better in the standpoint of size and strength and athleticism," Drew said.

With a precedent set by previous Big 12 stars like Kevin Durant and Darrell Arthur, Drew added that his team is more physically adept to compete with the best of the Big 12.

That task won't come easy, especially in a year where experts have placed such high expectations on the Universities of Kansas and Texas.

Led by Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, the Jayhawks are the overwhelming favorite to not only win the Big 12, but also the national championship. Texas returns an abundance of talent and is being raved about for its depth after adding five-star recruits in Jordan Hamilton and Avery Bradley.

Add that potential All-Americans reside on other teams like Iowa State University's Craig Brackins, Oklahoma State University's James Anderson and the University of Oklahoma's Willie Warren, it's not surprising analysts gawk at the conference's potential in the upcoming season.

"I think why the Big 12 is such a good conference is last year we had numerous players that could have gone to the NBA, and chose to come back," Drew said Wednesday on ESPN. "Then you add all the great recruits, six of the top 20 recruiting classes were in the Big 12, that's why it's so good."

Even with the overwhelming obstacles certain for the upcoming season, Drew has defined a goal for his to team to reach.

"We have so many new guys. At the beginning of the year we are just going to try to gel and get better," Drew said. "At the end of the year, hopefully we will be much more cohesive and efficient in what we're doing."

Sarah Groman | Staff Photographer Head Coach Scott Drew attempts to get his team's attention during the Nov. 5 match against the University of Central Oklahoma.

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