For the last year, I’ve thought about stepping away. But each time I did, something else would keep me going a little longer. Whether it was Big 12 Media Days or the NCAA Tournament, something kept me going.
But after eight years, it’s time for me to step away from writing and covering Baylor Basketball. I will provide some postgame takes on the Utah vs. Baylor game, and then I will retire from sports writing.
I started my sports writing career as the editor at Our Daily Bears. We covered the scandal and so much more in the first year. I looked for a niche area to cover — we weren’t going to be able to beat 247 or Baylor Scout (now merged with 247, but 247 is now 365 for those who forgot about that era) in recruiting. So I looked for us to go deeper into Xs and Os and player profiles. With Mark Moore, Peter Pope, David Fankhauser, Matt Wilson, Travis Roeder, Amy Paggit, Elliot Coffey and others, we built a great website.
But the nature of the business and where we are are part of why I’m stepping away now. I got a promotion at my job, so with my commute coupled on top, I am basically accounted for between 6:30 and 6:00 each day. I am also getting married next month — achieving the dream of the “Ring by Spring” podcast — which makes it tougher to find time to grind Baylor clips and put them into video.
It’s important that SicEm365 continues as a wonderful website to cover Baylor. There is nothing that dictates any website, newspaper or television station has to exist in 2025 or beyond. People have a billion entertainment options, and everyone wants things to be free. I was always grateful — in an era with that many options — when folks chose to read or pay for any content I was part of. I will continue to read SicEm365 and will still post here occasionally, but the era of articles is coming to a close.
I was fortunate that Ashley Hodge was so gracious when I asked if I could step away at the end of the month. When we finished our last podcast, I broached the idea and told him why, and he said he completely understood. I would have preferred not to step away mid-season, but I know that Jack, Levi and a host of others will join Ashley for the best Baylor basketball coverage we can find.
I have a million people to thank, and I’m going to list a few but snub many more by doing this. Ashley gave Travis and I a shot to come here after our journeys at ODB. He was always a true mensch and cares deeply about people. Brian Ethridge and I had a ton of fun in Las Vegas, and along with his wife, he’s the best of Baylor. Jack, Grayson and Levi have been joys to have as editors and any mistakes in my writing were solely my fault and never those fellas.
The radio crew could not have been better folks. David Smoak and I got the chance to hang out in Indianapolis during Baylor’s run to a national title. Paul Catalina and I have sat by each other at multiple basketball games. And Craig Smoak joins the crew in asking elite questions and responding well to the unpredictability any appearance from me can bring. One of the best decisions 365 made was partnering with that crew to keep them in Waco. They would be valuable additions to any market.
Over the years, I got to know a lot of folks in the Waco media. The media who covered Baylor truly were just massively more intelligent than others. From Jack Allen, Kurtis Quillin, Darby Brown and the TV crew, to John, Brice and Michael at newspapers to Andrew Miner (one of the best humans ever) and others who covered the Bears, I was blessed to have friends when we were on the road to grab a meal, or folks I could chat with while finishing a story. John Morris and Pat Nunley are incredible broadcasters and exceptional men too.
Baylor’s media crew works diligently to help everyone out. David Kaye is why I was able to take the gig from blogging to interviewing players. He helped me set up countless interviews. Matt Roberts took the reigns as Baylor basketball’s SID and joins DK as two of the hardest-working men in Baylor’s athletic department. Matt has always responded to requests and both are the kind of men we’d want leading Baylor.
The Baylor coaching staff gave me more time than I deserved and never complained about anything I wrote. Maybe that’s a sign that they were wisely too busy to read what I said, but they were always generous with their time. Scott Drew, Jerome Tang, John Jakus and Alvin Brooks III all provided numerous solo interview times with me over the years. Tweety Carter, Ty Beard and Charlie Melton were always willing to give me time too. When I was really grinding, the graduate assistants helped me out and gave my coverage a different perspective than some others. Rem Bakamus, Chris Nottingham, Austin Carpenter and plenty of others gave me funny insights.
The programs are for the players, and those guys are what kept me so invested over the years. Jared Butler and I connected for the first time when he missed my Skype interview and David Kaye had to text to wake him up. We then broke down film, and I think Jared was impressed by what I’d done. We became quite close — he eventually came to my book signing — and gave me a shoutout after winning the national title. Davion Mitchell, Mark Vital, Johnathan Tchawma Tchatchoua and Matthew Mayer gave me exclusive tidbits and were willing to answer any question I ever posed. Jeremey Sochan, Flo Thamba and plenty of others let me profile them too. MaCio Teague will go down as one of the most underrated Bears ever, and I always appreciated his time and perspective too. Adam Flagler would be on my “all-time favorite Bears to cover” team and he always had a wisdom that explained how he rose from Presbyterian to the NBA. I could list a variety of other players, but that’s what kept me going for so long as this was a second and third job.
I enjoyed covering Baylor basketball so much that a few years ago, I nearly left my job as an early 30s attorney to return to grad school and work with the team. During that journey, Jakus and several graduate assistants answered all my questions. I came very close to doing so, but I wouldn’t have met my wife if I had left. I’m sure glad I stayed.
Covering Baylor sports took me to places I never could have imagined when I agreed to take a $100-a-month gig at ODB. I wrote a book “How They Drew It Up,” that documented Baylor’s national championship. I covered a national championship and a Big 12 title game. I got to do color commentary for a Baylor vs. Iowa State game. Through this job, I’ve met unique people at Harry & Izzy’s in Indianapolis and played poker until 3 a.m. in Las Vegas. I’ve walked the streets of Memphis and been stuck in a hotel in Ames because of ice. I’ve watched Baylor play as far east as Morgantown, as far north as South Dakota and as far south as Austin (what a final win in the Drum, perhaps only beaten by Baylor ending the series with a win in Waco).
This has been an incredible journey where I’ve been blessed by the readers. As I prepare to write for the final time tomorrow, I think far more about all the positive comments than the negative ones. But regardless of what anyone felt at any time about what I said, I appreciate anyone who read or listened to anything I had to say over the years. As my favorite Baylor commercial used to say, “I loved every minute.” Thank you.
