Following Trip to Vegas, Baylor’s 7-Man Rotation Continues to Build Chemistry & Confidence

LAS VEGAS – The Bears received a wake-up call, loud and clear, just minutes into their matchup against No. 14 St. John’s last Tuesday, Nov. 24, in the Players Era Festival, as they found themselves already down 18-4.

Head coach Scott Drew’s squad started the game 2-for-17 from the field, while allowing the Johnnies to get open shot after shot after shot. Baylor kept fighting and cut into St. John’s lead a few times, but could ultimately never trim it to less than five points and ended up losing, 96-81.

Following the ugly defeat, the Bears held a players-only meeting where the team got “things off their chest” and discussed how they can focus on playing for each other to avoid a repeat of the St. John’s game.

“That was the biggest takeaway, because at the end of the day on the court, we need to see eye to eye, and we need to be together, more than anything,” senior forward Dan Skillings said on Monday. “I think the players’ meeting is going to help us in the long run this season, just how positive we are with each other and how we’re now getting each other fully, and we’re playing for each other, not just the coaches or the university. We’re playing for each other the most.”

The next night, the Bears bounced back with a big win — that looked a bit closer because of the final three minutes — over San Diego State, 91-81, where five different players scored in double figures.

Skillings said the victory over the Aztecs showed the closeness of the team, and praised the effectiveness of the players-only meeting, noting, “When things are going rough or not going our way, or when adversity hits, I feel like all of us look at each other. I don’t think there’s one guy we all just look to or want to hear words from.” 

He continued, “When Drew Perry speaks on the bench and talks in the huddle or talks in the only player meeting, we listen just as much as we listen to any of the seven players that are in our rotation right now, because we have guys down, and that’s a strong suit for this team. Not a lot of teams have that … We have no egos on this team. No one thinks they’re better than each other. No one thinks they’re over each other. We’re all on the same level playing field, and we all want the same thing, which is to win.”

Overall, the vibes are good as the Bears head back to Waco, following a 2-1 stint in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Drew, meanwhile, was very pleased with the showing of his entirely new roster, particularly on defense in the wins over Creighton and San Diego State.

“First, playing in a tournament like that, there are no bad losses and [plenty] of quality win opportunities,” Drew said to the media on Monday. “I think we grew and learned from the Vegas experience, and really played well against San Diego State. Take out the last three minutes, when we were up 18 at one point. Offensively and defensively, that might have been our best game of the year to date.”

With the Bears currently forced to play just a seven-man rotation, as Juslin Bodo Bodo remains out and JJ White remains questionable after injuring his foot against Creighton on Nov. 24, Drew believes one of the strengths of this year’s squad is that anyone can lead the charge on a night-to-night basis, scoring-wise.

“With all seven, there are different games or different periods in a game, you could say, ‘Hey, they were really good and really carried us at this point.’ When you scout teams, sometimes, if you stop [one player], they’ve got nothing,” Drew said. “With our team, we have seven guys that are capable of scoring double figures, and we have a lot of versatility.”

Obviously, playing a seven-man rotation isn’t ideal. White will be “out for a little bit,” and Bodo Bodo isn’t “closer,” according to Drew; he expects an answer on the status of both in the coming weeks. Unlike last year, however, the Bears at least have enough bodies to practice, since Andre Iguodala II and Mayo Soyoye are redshirting.

“You practice a lot more than you play games — that’s crucial,” Drew said. “Last year, when you had a short rotation, we didn’t have that kind of practice depth with guys redshirting, but at the same time, some of those things that we did to make sure we didn’t get anybody else hurt, I think translated and will put in effect until we get more guys back.” 

One of the players, who has picked up the slack on both sides of the court, has been sophomore guard Isaac Williams IV, who is averaging 10.3 points and, as Drew says, is a “big reason why we’re off to the start that we are.”

“Isaac’s been tremendous; he’s somebody who, at the University Games, got a lot of confidence, but he’s somebody that’s a two-way player. Defensively, he can be really good, and he had a big steal against San Diego State,” Drew said. “He’s somebody that’s bigger, more athletic, a physical guard who gets to the rim, obviously on offense, but defensively, that’s where I’ve been most pleased, just his improvement there and knowing and picking up our schemes.”

When Robert Wright III spurned the coaching staff to go to BYU later in the transfer portal cycle, Baylor scrambled but was unable to find a true floor general. With White down, Drew has been pleased with what Williams (2.5 assists, 0.7 turnovers) and fifth-year senior guard Obi Agbim (4.3 assists, 0.8 turnovers) have done as ball handlers.

“The good thing is Obi and Isaac both have played point before, and both of their assist-to-turnover ratio for the season are outstanding,” Drew said. “At the same time, both of them give you scoring production, and Obi tends to do it from deep, and Isaac tends to do it from the rim. But I think both of them, there’s always an adaptation period when you move up levels, and at the Power Four levels, you just have more length and shot blocking. The ability to get to the paint finish over that length and make the right decisions is something that both of them have gotten a lot better at, and their assist-turnover ratios show and prove that.”

The Bears are also leaning more into the modern style of basketball with multiple other players who can bring the ball up the court and help initiate the offense, like Michael Rataj (6-foot-8), Cameron Carr (6-foot-5) and Tounde Yessoufou (6-foot-5).

“A lot of times when you turn on NBA games, it’s the best player who has the ball, even if he’s 6’10, if he’s 6’9, if he’s 6’11,” Drew said. “Guys have to learn how to play with the ball, and without it, and as the coaches, I think that’s our job, to take what we’re given each year, and put them in the best position to be successful, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. The more we coach them, the more we figure that out, too.”

Yessoufou, however, is one of the players who has really struggled to adapt to the game’s pace after dominating California’s high school ranks. Yessoufou is averaging the second-most points on the team (15.5), but is averaging a team-high two turnovers per game on an inefficient clip of 41% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc.

“I ain’t gonna lie, it’s been tough a little bit,” Yessoufou said of adjusting to the collegiate game. “But I just feel like my teammates and my coaches keep pouring into me and [I need to] just let the game come into me — that’s the biggest adjustment. Just get to my spot, get where I want to be, not force anything at the beginning and just let the game come. [I need to] be more aggressive on defense, just because I know that’s gonna get me going for sure.”

The five-star freshman should have an opportunity in December to continue to find his footing, with five of the six games being in Foster Pavilion before Big 12 play gears up in January.

“Honestly, it’s amazing just to play in our gym, with our fans, and just not to get to travel too much, because I know sometimes that messes up our rhythm a little bit,” Yessoufou said.

Speaking of Big 12 play, Skillings, who transferred to Baylor after three seasons at Cincinnati, believes the Bears are “very capable” of winning the conference championship, but noted that it starts with defense.

“Everybody can score 100 points. It’s going to come down to small details on defense, not getting back doors, switching high according to the game plans and just being really physical. The Big 12 is really, really physical,” Skillings said.

He continued, “We haven’t played a team that matches the Big 12 physicality yet, and if so, maybe St John’s, but I think we’re very, very capable. I think we have dogs on this team. I think we've got very, very competitive guys that play with a lot of joy. I feel like we’re a fun team off the court, and when we get in between those lines, we take it very, very seriously. I believe in these guys more than anything, and I’ve seen a lot and played in a lot of Big 12 games, and all these guys are going to be ready once conference play comes.”

While there could be some early quibbles here and there, it’s easy to forget that this team is entirely new and that the pieces are still being put together. Through six games, though, Drew’s extremely pleased with what he’s seen.

“We’re really blessed with a good group; I think they care about each other and about Baylor,” Drew said. “They love wearing the jersey. They like competing and playing hard, practicing hard. They’re a joy to come to work with every day. When I say work, I mean you show up to practice every day with guys you don’t want to be with; it’s a long year, but they bring energy. They’re excited to learn, excited to get better.”

The Bears (5-1) get back to business tonight at 7 p.m. CT against Sacramento State (4-5) at Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.