Evaluating Baylor's Offseason Moves: Thoughts on Acquisitions, Roster Turnover, More

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As the transfer portal season continues for both Baylor basketball programs, Ashley Hodge and Levi Caraway dive into the top questions pressing Scott Drew and Nicki Collen’s programs.

What are Baylor’s next most significant needs in the transfer portal?

Ashley Hodge (MBB): The most pressing need would be a starting point guard to replace Robert Wright III, who transferred to BYU earlier this week for an unfathomable amount of money. The coaching staff is evaluating options for another impact guard, but it appears that rising sixth-year senior Duke Miles from Oklahoma will be visiting sometime soon.

With the latest additions of High Point’s Juslin Bodo Bodo and Rice’s Caden Powell, Baylor seems to have its primary big man duo for next season. However, I’d still argue that the coaching staff needs to land another big man, who won’t be in the primary rotation but can give you 10 solid minutes if necessary.

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Read the backstory behind Robert Wright’s suprising departure in last week’s installment of “Down the Line.”

The last position of need would be a 3-point specialist who isn’t necessarily in the nine- or 10-man rotation but can score easily from beyond the arc and has multiple years of eligibility left.

Levi Caraway (WBB): Before answering that question, you have to ask, “Do you anticipate Jana Van Gytenbeek to be fully recovered from her torn ACL by the start of the season?”

If there’s any inkling of doubt that she might not get back to the level of last offseason, where she was expected to have a breakout year, then the safe play would probably be to add a starting point guard. If she is fully healthy, head coach Nicki Collen and the rest of the coaching staff can probably feel confident about the depth at guard, although it’d still be wise to add another piece.

The other potential addition would be another post player. It’s probably too late in the transfer portal process to add a player of Aaronette Vonleh's caliber. However, that doesn’t mean Collen can’t land another impactful player down low to create a competition for minutes at the five between returning senior Kyla Abraham and Oklahoma senior transfer Kiersten Johnson.

Outside of those things, the depth on the roster is in a great place.

Thoughts on the transfer portal acquisitions so far?

Ashley Hodge (MBB): It’s clear that head coach Scott Drew is prioritizing length, defensive prowess and rebounding with the transfer portal acquisitions so far. This should be a much more balanced roster than the last few years, which were guard-heavy with little depth on the wings and down low.

Over the last couple of seasons, there has been a desire to recreate the 2021 National Championship roster, which featured dynamic guard play, but the trend in college basketball is heading elsewhere.

Teams with championship DNA are getting longer and bigger: Florida, Houston, Duke, Auburn, etc. Baylor is trying to return to being an aggressive defensive team that’s physical on the glass, and the players being brought in are hungry to win, about the right things and live in the gym.

Levi Caraway (WBB): After watching the Bears struggle to handle Ole Miss's size in the Round of 32, amongst other things, Collen has prioritized athleticism, length and height so far in the transfer portal, similar to Drew.

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Both Baylor basketball programs have looked to get longer and more athletic this offseason.

Baylor’s top additions — Auburn guard Taliah Scott (5-foot-8), Auburn guard Yuting Deng (6-foot-0) and North Dakota forward Kiera Pemberton (6-foot-1) — will seemingly replace the minutes of seniors Jada Walker (5-foot-7), Sarah Andrews (5-foot-6) and Yaya Felder (5-foot-8) in the rotation next season, giving the Bears much more size and athleticism across the board.

Collen's roster is very adaptable, and she can mix and match at different positions, even more so if Scott or Deng can run the point for extended periods of time. You’d also be hard-pressed to find another team in the Big 12 with three wings as versatile and skilled as Pemberton, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (6-foot-1) and Bella Fontleroy (6-foot-0).

Overall, has the roster turnover this offseason been a positive or a negative?

Ashley Hodge (MBB): I don’t think you could ask for a better combination of bigs with Bodo Bodo and Powell, and I love the ability of Oregon State transfer Michael Rataj to be able to spread the floor and work inside the paint at the four.

Incoming five-star freshman Tounde Yessoufou, paired with Cameron Carr and Dan Skillings on the wing, would be a terrific group of long-wingspan players who can rebound, defend and score.

Omaha’s JJ White is underrated as a point guard and Wyoming’s Obi Agbim could lead the team in scoring and is very explosive.

Baylor should have seven or more rotation pieces with at least a 6-foot-8 wingspan: Agbim at 6-foot-8; Yessoufou at 6-foot-9; Rataj at 7-foot-0; Carr at 7-foot-2; Skillings at 7-foot-2; Powell at 7-foot-2; Bodo Bodo at 7-foot-8.

@Sam Greene

Cincinnati’s Dan Skillings committed to Baylor on Tuesday evening.

I don’t care what BYU or Texas Tech have. Toughness and grit are important, and Houston proved that last year when it blew through the league with a 19-1 record, despite not having the offensive firepower, on paper, that some of the other rosters had.

Defense, wingspan and rebounding are all important, and that’s how the roster is shaping up.

Levi Caraway (WBB): Outside of the seniors graduating, the only player leaving is rising senior guard Waiata Jennings, who entered the transfer portal after averaging two points and 10 minutes a game last season.

Unlike men’s basketball, Collen’s program has positive roster continuity, and keeping your two cornerstone players — Littlepage-Buggs and Fontleroy — is always significant in today’s era.

As for the impactful additions, Deng and Scott will have three years of eligibility and were on the All-SEC Freshman Team (Scott in 2024, Deng in 2025). Pemberton earned Second-Team All-Summit League honors and is a rising junior with two years eligibility remaining.

Scott averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists across three games before missing the remainder of the 2024-2025 season with a wrist injury. Scott was a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 11 prospect in the 2023 class, according to ESPN.

Meanwhile, Deng, a native of China, was a late enrollee and played in 12 games for Auburn this season, with eight starts. She averaged 11.8 points per game on 38% shooting from the field, 37% from beyond the arc and 85% from the free-throw line.

Pemberton led North Dakota in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 16.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. She shot 53% from the floor and 74% from the free-throw line, at a high volume, averaging five shots from the charity stripe per contest.

If Collen can add another impactful post player and a point guard, I really like how this roster is shaping up for next year.

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