Top 10 Baylor Moments of 2017: Part II
Continuing our countdown of the best green and gold moments of 2017, here are the top five events of the year.
Moments 10-6
5. Champions Prepared for Life
This may be too abstract for some but as a student at the same school, myself, this placement feels justified.
Between balancing schoolwork, a job, and a social life, college is a juggling act. Throw in a sport, things can get out of balance in a hurry. Baylor has handled that task better than anyone in the conference. The motto has been preparing champions for life. With the highest graduation success rate among Big 12 foes for the past four years, it's been more than preached.
Keeping Baylor's standard in the classroom above par has been a keystone goal under director of athletics Mack Rhoades. The message has been fully implemented throughout the program. Scott Drew's roster still boasts one of the best rates in the nation. Matt Rhule's preached creating men before players since arriving in Waco. The former has certainly happened if the wins don't yet show the players. Baylor led the Big 12 with 19 players on the All-Big 12 Academic team, up from 16 last year. Hard to knock that.
4. Big Jo sounds off for parents
Since this performance came hours after his graduation, it could be tethered to the last moment but it stands on its own right too.
After moving to the country and transferring to Baylor, Jo Lual-Acuil had not seen his parents in over four years. They made the trip from South Sudan to see him, not to play basketball against Savannah State but to see him pick up his diploma. That just happened to coincide with one of the most dominant performances in program history.
Lual-Acuil had put on a good show a couple days before with an 18-point performance against Texas Southern. But the real show came against Savannah State. He put together a 31 point, 20 rebound game to the delight of his family. It was the first 20/20 performance for a Baylor player since Rico Gathers two seasons ago. Between watching Lual-Acuil's family's reactions to his ridiculous performance and his role itself, it's certainly a favorite memory.
3. Men's basketball tops the charts
Scott Drew has come close before. The men's basketball team reached No. 3 ranking in 2012 but never before had it gone to No. 1. There have been teams before that looked primed for the premier spot but of all teams, it was the one that went without a preseason Top 25 vote. It's just a shame it didn't last longer.
After knocking off No. 4 Oregon, Baylor climbed into the rankings within the first week but the Battle 4 Atlantis gave the Bears a string of signature wins. All told, through big comebacks and wins against three top-10 teams, Baylor took the No. 1 spot on Jan. 9. That came with a 15-0 opening record that came to a crashing halt visiting West Virginia the day after. It proved that the transfers Drew courted were working like clockwork with the team. It was worth the wait.
The No. 1 ranking still remains one of the finest hours of the Drew era. A bit of a false flag teasing another Elite Eight appearance? Sure. But it's a historic achievement all the same that will be the measuring stick for years to come.
2. Kim Mulkey hits 500
Backlash to Mulkey's postgame speech aside, reaching 500 wins is a milestone most coaches only dream of. If she wasn't already, she's a true tentpole of the sport now. As the only person to win a national championship as a player, assistant and head coach, it's a milestone that was long in the making.
Taking under 17 seasons at Baylor, the only coach faster to 500 wins is her mentor and former Lady Bear assistant Leon Barmore. The historical significance really makes this 1B tied with the No. 1 moment of the year.
1. #BFast Movement takes over
Ranking recruiting classes can be a fool's game. But this class could prove to be a watershed moment for the program.
After winning just one game all year, Baylor still has a top 30 freshman class in tow. If the recruiting class Rhule and Co. strung together last minute for 2017 wasn't impressive enough, this class should. Rhule stayed true to his word and dominated the Texas recruiting trail. Though, top-shelf athletes like Gary Bohanon (Arkansas) and Tyquan Thornton (Florida) won't be turned away at the door.
Every school tries to get a movement going online but few have spread as fast as the #BFast movement did, even outdoing the #Wacover that got the talk going early in the year. It's not just a hashtag but a true embodiment of the direction the program is taking.
Letters of intent can change by National Signing Day and move Baylor down (or up) the totem pole but it's an incredible achievement. Considering the dour atmosphere after the program's worst record since 1999, there's finally something to celebrate. The future looks bright heading into 2018.