Basketball Season Preview: Why Baylor's Wings Will be the Strength of This Year's Roster
As Baylor men’s basketball prepares for its season opener against UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday, Nov. 3, at Foster Pavilion, Ashley Hodge and Levi Caraway share a few notes on each expected key contributor, with today’s focus being on the wings.
On Tuesday, we focused on the guards (Obi Agbim, JJ White and Isaac Williams IV). On Thursday, we’ll discuss the bigs (Caden Powell, Juslin Bodo Bodo, Mayo Soyoye).
Cameron Carr (RSo., Tennessee): 4.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1 APG, 0.3 TO, 63 FG%, 40 3P%, 78 FT%, 10 MPG
Ashley: I’ve been high on Carr since I first watched him practice. He’s matured so much since he set foot on campus. He has a 7-foot-2 wingspan, a scorer’s mindset and a desire to defend. He, along with Yessoufou, can be an NBA player. He’s a lot more aggressive than I expected.
Levi: Elite, elite, elite athlete. Carr’s going to have his fair share of dunks that will make your jaw drop, but he’s much more of an all-around player than just a freak athlete. He gives effort on the defensive end, is a very willing rebounder, can be slippery getting to the basket and is an above-average shooter. Baylor will be at its best when Carr is involved in the offense and aggressive.
*Cameron Carr played in four games at Tennessee last year before transferring mid-season to Baylor and electing to redshirt*
Michal Rataj (Sr., Oregon State): 16.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2 APG, 2.4 TO, 48 FG%, 35 3P%, 79 FT%, 32 MPG
Ashley: Rataj has a calming presence that this team will need. He’s a skilled stretch four who is strong enough to play the five as well. He should be a guy who gives you a double-double (or close to it) every night. He has good footwork and hands. His athleticism is average, but his skills should be more than enough to make him one of the better bigs in the Big 12. He is a solid 3-point shooter as well.
Levi: He was easily Germany’s best player in the World University Games, but struggled with foul trouble in their semifinal loss to Brazil. Rataj hasn’t been at his best in Baylor’s scrimmages, but the Bears really need him and Obi Agbim to play up to what they’re capable of consistently. If he ends up spending most of his time at the five, I’m very curious to see if he’ll be able to exploit mismatches or if it’ll be the other way around.
Tounde Yessoufou (Fr., St Joseph High School, CA): N/A
Ashley: His best ability is his motor. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound wing plays so hard. Baylor fans will have to live with some mistakes due to aggression, but he will get better and better as the season goes along. He’s capable of being a great scorer, defender and rebounder.
Levi: Yessoufou is an absolute dawg and is already shooting up NBA draft boards. The five-star freshman is being labeled as a lottery pick before playing a collegiate game. The good news is that, unlike last year, when VJ Edgecombe had to carry this team at times, Yessoufou won’t be asked to do too much right out of the gate. Once conference play rolls around, Yessoufou, a three-level scorer, should be hitting his stride.
Dan Skillings (Sr., Cincinnati): 9.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 TO, 44 FG%, 30 3P%, 61 FT%, 23 MPG
Ashley: Skillings is a veteran Big 12 player who I think will prosper in Baylor’s system. He can defend and rebound at a high level, and he’s crafty on drives. Turnovers and consistency with outside shooting are the concerns, but like the rest of the wings, the versatility is off the charts.
Levi: A wise man once said, “You can’t put a saddle on a bronco.” There’s bound to be moments where Skillings has a really bad turnover or takes a bad shot because he gets too out of control going downhill. On the other hand, he’ll offset that with incredible moments where he dives into the stands to save a possession and gets the crowd fired up. I don’t think Cincinnati put him in the right places where he could thrive like Drew will. He’s going to give you max effort and will be a fun, but sometimes frustrating player to watch. I was encouraged by his jumper in Germany; it was better than expected.
Overall Thoughts on the Wings:
Ashley: I think these four guys give Baylor the best set of wings in the country; you would be hard-pressed to find a better four combo. They can all score, shoot, rebound and defend. The more minutes these four can play together, the more wins the Bears will accumulate in my view. Play to your strengths!
Levi: Across the last seasons, there was probably only a handful of games against teams with a pulse where Baylor had the clear advantage in athleticism. That changes this year with an elite collection of versatile, long wings who can defend, shoot and dribble. The reason I’m not overly concerned about the lack of depth at guard is due to the fact that Rataj, Carr and Yessoufou are all capable with the ball and can help initiate the offense. I’m really excited to see how Drew mixes and matches with this group.
Last week, Grayson Grundhoefer joined The Athletic's Tobias Bass to discuss what Bass saw at a recent Baylor basketball practice and how Scott Drew's program is looking after so much offseason turnover. Check out that podcast here.
