Baylor Men's Basketball Makes RayJ Dennis Transfer Official

WACO, Texas – Baylor men’s basketball added talented Toledo transfer RayJ Dennis to its roster, head coach Scott Drew announced Friday.

The Plainsfield, Ill., native was the unanimous MAC player of the Year last season with the Rockets, appearing in 35 games and averaging 19.5 points and 5.8 assists en route to a regular-season conference title. Baylor head coach Scott Drew knows he is adding another experienced leader to the Bears' backcourt.

“RayJ is a proven winner," he said. "He buoyed Toledo to a conference title on his way to earning MAC Player of the Year and has a great reputation for being an unselfish teammate. I know the Baylor Family will enjoy watching him compete every night, and our staff is looking forward to having him join our team."

Dennis was integral in helping the Rockets match a school record with 27 wins, leading the conference in assists per game (5.8) and ranking 10th in the country in assist-turnover ratio. He scored in double figures in all 35 games to finish second in school history with 683 points, while his 202 assists were third-most in Rocket history. The first-team All-MAC selection in 2022-23 was also a finalist for Lute Olson National Player of the Year and Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of Year.

Dennis started all 34 games as a junior in 2021-22, averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 assists and a team-leading 33.9 minutes per game. He was efficient on the offensive end, shooting 50.3% from the field, which led all guards in the MAC. The junior ended the season with 14-straight games in double figures, which continued into the 2022-23 season, leaving the state of Ohio with 49-straight games scoring in double figures.

Prior to his time with the Rockets, Dennis played two seasons with the Boise State Broncos, where he appeared in 60 games with 40 starts across two seasons. During 2020-21, he led the Broncos in steals (34) and eclipsed the double-figure scoring mark 11 times, including the season opener at No. 17 Houston.

As a freshman during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, Dennis appeared in all 32 of the Broncos’ games with 15 starts. His season was highlighted by a then career-high 19 points in a comeback win over Utah State.

A three-star recruit in high school, Dennis finished his prep career at Oswego East High School in Oswego, Ill. The McDonald's All-American nominee was a two-time Kendall County Player of the Year and two-time All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection, and unanimous MVP in 2019.