Scott Drew still has plenty of talented guards at No. 20 Baylor even after losing 3 starters

Baylor coach Scott Drew still has plenty of talent in the backcourt for the 20th-ranked Bears, even after the departures of three starting guards who averaged 15 points a game.

The Bears brought in RayJ Dennis, the MAC Player of the Year at Toledo, and two-year VCU starter Jayden Nunn from the transfer portal. They also added highly touted freshmen guards Ja'Kobe Walter, a McDonald's All-American who broke his nose in a preseason practice, and Finland's Miro Little, a top international prospect.

Dennis averaged 19.5 points and 5.8 assists per game at Toledo last season, when he had three times more assists than turnovers.

“RayJ is an old-school type player, old-school game, meaning really fundamentally sound, makes all the right passes, reads, really pitches the ball ahead, a joy to coach” said Drew, who described him as a leader. “He’s somebody everybody really likes and gravitates to.”

Jalen Bridges, a 6-foot-7 forward and former transfer from West Virginia, is the only returning starter for the Bears.

LJ Cryer, who started 31 games last season and as a true freshman was part of Baylor's 2021 national championship, was tabbed by coaches as a preseason All-Big 12 pick this year after he transferred to conference newcomer Houston. The other 15-point scorers were Adam Flagler, a fifth-year senior last season, and one-and-done standout Keyonte George, who at 19 was the 16th overall NBA draft pick by the Utah Jazz.

FAREWELL TO FERRELL

Baylor has only seven more games in the Ferrell Center, their home arena since 1988-89. The final one is Dec. 22 against Mississippi Valley State.

The Bears will make a midseason move to Foster Pavilion, along the banks on the Brazos River on the other side of Interstate 35 from the school's football stadium. The first scheduled game in the new building is Jan. 2 against Cornell.

“One of the best things that I think the state of Texas in general has done is made newer, smaller arenas to make sure the fans were more on top of you instead of so spread out with the bigger arenas that we used to have,” Drew said.

Foster Pavilion will seat about 7,000 fans with additional standing room for about 500 more. Ferrell Center capacity is nearly 10,300.

INTERNATIONAL TRIP

The Bears took an offseason trip to France. It was the chance for coaches and players to bond, as well as the extra practice time to install offensive and defensive sets.

Drew has sensed a lot of positivity around the group that practices hard and with energy. He said players have been close and like one another.

“If those characteristics continue throughout the heart of the season and the ups and downs and the successes and adversities, we’re going to be really good,” Drew said.

FORMER ASSISTANTS

Two of Drew's former assistants are now head coaches he has to face in the Big 12.

Grant McCasland, who was on Baylor's staff from 2011-16, is now at Texas Tech after the past six seasons at North Texas. Jerome Tang was with Drew for the Baylor coach's first 19 seasons until going last year to Kansas State, which went 26-10 and made the Elite Eight in Tang's first season.

“I know both of them do a great job and I cheer like heck for them every game of the year except for when we play,” Drew said.

In the Big 12's new schedule format with 14 conference teams, the Bears play Kansas State only once in the regular season, on Jan. 16 in Manhattan, Kansas. They still have home-and-home games with Texas Tech.

NON-CONFERENCE TESTS

Baylor, which opens Nov. 7 against Auburn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, faces two big tests on NBA courts just before Christmas. The Bears play fourth-ranked Michigan State at the home arena of the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 16, and four days later take on No. 2 Duke at Madison Square Garden. Baylor beat the Spartans at Battle 4 Atlantis in 2016 and 2021, and last played Duke in an 2010 Elite Eight game when the Blue Devils were on their way to the national title.

___ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball