The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Week of Sports
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Just like that, football media days have come and gone. Meanwhile, more staff and roster tweaks to update around the athletic department, plus more.
Here’s a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from the past week in Baylor Athletics.
THE GOOD
Media Daze: It was a pretty jam-packed two days inside AT&T Stadium, but I thought the Bears represented themselves well. There are a lot of words, phrases, and stories to sort through in that car wash setting, but it was an enjoyable experience overall and will undoubtedly be different minus OU and Texas next season.
Still, one of the coolest things was seeing how thrilled the four new schools were to participate. Nothing was earth-shattering from a conference or Baylor standpoint, but it helped whet the appetite for what’s to come in a little over a month. This team has absolute confidence in its ability to bounce back and seems all too aware of why a bounce-back is necessary in the first place. They’ve said and seemingly done all the rights things throughout the offseason, and Aranda has made the necessary staff changes and roster tweaks as he sees fit.
Meet The Bears: Mark your calendars for August 26th. As if media days weren’t enough of an indication the season draws near, here’s another sign.
Hoops Addition: MBB announced the addition of junior college transfer Yanis Ndjonga. The Cameroon native spent the past season as a freshman at the New Mexico Military Institute. Hoops season is now under the four-month mark, so there is still a little wait, but the news cycle hasn’t stopped since March, and time has flown by.
Volleyball Preseason Nods: As a team, Volleyball was voted to finish third in the league. Averi Carlson was voted unanimous preseason All-Big 12 heading into her sophomore season, joined by fellow sophomore teammate Allie Sczech. Meanwhile, freshman Kyndal Stowers was named preseason Co-Freshman of the Year.
WBB Home & Home: Nicki Collen’s program announced a fun non-con home-and-away showdown with Oregon starting this December in Waco and with a return trip to Eugene in 2024.
Baseball: Mitch Thompson and staff added Missouri State transfer infielder Mason Green. He’s no stranger to the program or Waco, as the Colleyville native previously played for Thompson at MCC. His presence should also bring the occasional appearance from his famous father, former Rangers outfielder Rusty Greer.
Men’s Golf: Speaking of MCC, former Highlanders All-American Cory Donnell was hired to Mike McGraw’s Baylor staff as a second assistant coach, joining another recent hire in Jeremy Alcorn. Donnell, a Texas native, returns home after two seasons with Charleston Southern.
Track & Field: Head coach Michael Ford announced the hires of three new full-time assistants in Wilbert London Sr., Brandon Richards, and Chase Hood.
Women’s Golf Schedule: The Bears unveiled their 2023 schedule, which will see them teeing off the season at the Annika Intercollegiate, along with 11 other teams, September 11-13 in Minneapolis, MN.
THE BAD
Family Loss: Continued thoughts and well wishes to Dave Aranda and his family as they deal with the recent loss of his father. There are no words, but on the bright side, it sounds like he captured some closure and comfort in the end, which is a blessing. I commend Aranda for keeping it together while dealing with many public obligations. Given the circumstances, it was one of his more impressive moments as a head coach.
Keyonte George: The Jazz rookie injured his ankle during NBA Summer League action out in Las Vegas. Luckily, the MRI showed there was no fracture as initially feared. But unsurprisingly, George is now done with summer ball and will start on the road to healing up that ankle ahead of the regular season. He had some excellent showings when healthy, and his future remains bright.
THE UGLY
I don’t think anything really applies this week.
