Scott Drew and Men's Basketball Prepare for Season Ahead
On Monday, head coach Scott Drew and various players spoke with the media ahead of the first official practice of the season.
It’s been quite the busy offseason for head coach Scott Drew and Baylor men’s basketball.
In April, Drew spurned a head coaching offer from Kentucky to stay in Waco. Freshman phenoms Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Upon announcing his decision to stay, Drew and the Bears reshaped their coaching staff by hiring three new assistants — Bill Armstrong (Link Academy), Steve Henson (UTSA) and Melvin Hunt (Former NBA Assistant) — after the departures of John Jakus (Florida Atlantic), Alvin Brooks III (Kentucky) and Bill Peterson (Denver).
Baylor also lost two other key players — Jalen Bridges and RayJ Dennis — to the NBA but was very active in the transfer portal, adding three veterans to pair with three incoming freshmen and a returning nucleus of Langston Love (RJr.), Jayden Nunn (Sr.) and Josh Ojianwuna (Jr.).
“We love the group we've put together, just like everybody else out there, but I really like the experience with the inexperience, and it's tough to get that blend nowadays,” Drew said. “I really feel the coaches did a great job bringing together a group that likes one another, plays for each other and provides a lot of different experiences that make you a well-rounded team.”
Love added to that, saying, “This team is unique. From my time at Baylor and the year before, when they won the championship, I feel like we have some different pieces this year. It's going to be a whole new aspect to Baylor basketball and the things that these guys can bring to the table.”
Some of those key newcomers are Duke transfer guard Jeremy Roach (5Sr.) and Miami transfer forward Norchad Omier (5Sr.), who were All-ACC players and have played in a Final Four at their former schools before transferring to Baylor.
“I couldn't be more blessed and satisfied with the people we were able to attract to the program,” Drew said. “We brought in people who have won at the highest level, been to Final Fours, been successful in college, been with great programs and been with great coaches; they offer that experience and expertise. Plus, they can share with the young guys just what a special situation they have at Baylor.”
Roach, one of the targets in this transfer cycle, chose Baylor over Kentucky, Arkansas and St. John’s. At Duke, the 6-foot-2 guard was a two-time captain and played in 114 games with 92 starts for the Blue Devils. Last season, he averaged 14.0 points per game, 3.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and shot at a 43% clip from three-point range.
“Jeremy's a great guard,” Nunn said. “He's a veteran as well. He’s been to a Final Four, which is where I want to potentially be as well. Learning from him and competing is going to help us a lot.”
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Omier earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2023-2024 as he led the Hurricanes in points (17.0), rebounds (10.0), steals (1.5) and blocks (0.8); he also shot 35.3% from deep and 75% from the free-throw line.
“After meeting the coaches and the players coming down to visit, it was a pretty easy decision,” Omier said. “The ‘Culture of Joy’ is real. I met the guys, talked with the coaches and saw how passionate they were about basketball and how much they cared about you on and off the court — it was so easy to come here.”
Originally from Bluefields, Nicaragua, Omier was in the top 10 percent in college basketball in offensive efficiency (116), effective field goal percentage (58%), offensive rebounding percentage (13%) and defensive rebounding percentage (23%). According to On3, he was the No. 2 ranked transfer.
“I take pride in my rebounding and do whatever it takes to win the game,” he said. “I have the back of each and every one of my teammates to help them in any way possible and be a good teammate at the end of the day.”
With all of the new faces arriving in Waco this offseason, Love is responsible for showing everyone the ropes and how business is handled within the program.
“When you get a lot of new guys, they come in with a lot of questions,” he said. “With me being around the program for a while, I just try to be a leader for those guys and just a leader for this team, and answering their questions and letting them know what the Baylor way is and how we do things around here.”
As for incoming freshmen, it starts with five-star wing VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe was the No. 5 player in the 2024 recruiting class and spent part of the summer trying to earn an Olympic qualifying bid with Team Bahamas. On a squad with three NBA players — Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield — Edgecombe looked like the best player on the court at times.
“He's as advertised,” Love said. “He comes in and works hard every day. He doesn’t have an ego and fits right into the program and everything that goes on here. I love being around him every day.”
Before Baylor enters the Big 12 gauntlet later this season, Drew and the Bears are slated to play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, with games against Gonzaga, Arkansas, St. Johns and Connecticut on the horizon.
“We always want to challenge ourselves in the nonconference schedule, and that's why we're the only school to be a top-three seed in the last four NCAA tournaments,” Drew said. “If you don't play a challenging nonconference schedule, you can't have those opportunities. At the same time, we play in the toughest league in the country, so you have to get yourself ready for it.”
Nunn added to that, saying, “We prepare by competing and going hard at each other in practice. It’s going to be fun. I look forward to playing those guys. It’s going to be some great games. I like playing top teams and playing the best teams that we could possibly play.”
As for aspirations for this season, there’s only one thing on the mind of the players, especially after a disappointing Round of 32 loss last year to six-seeded Clemson.
“We want to be better than we were last year by paying attention to details and trying to lead each other and not taking competing personally at all,” Nunn said. “We’re trying to make it to the Natty, and we have the experience to do that.”
With the culmination of talent and experience, the 2024-2025 Bears arguably have the best chance since the 2021 National Championship team to make a deep run in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“We have a chance to do some great things,” Love said. “I think we can win it all, to be honest. We’ve got the right pieces, the right veterans and the right culture — that's just the biggest part.”
If it wasn’t abundantly clear what the players think of this year’s team's ceiling, Omier said it best: “National Championship. Easy.”