Baylor Basketball
That season, Carter was a second-team All-Big 12 selection and was named the most improved player by Big 12 media. While he improved from his junior season to lead the league with 5.9 assists per game as a perimeter maverick, Carter still felt he could have improved more and live up to his billing as a McDonald’s All-American.
As Baylor’s first such recruit and the highest-scoring high school player in U.S. history, that hardly seemed like an option. There was immediate push to get Carter on the hardwood.
“I remember Tweety Carter said, ‘Why didn’t you let me redshirt my first year? I was a McDonald’s All-America but you still shoulda given me the option’,” Drew said.
When Carter first came on board, Baylor had never made the NCAA tournament or been nationally ranked while in the Big 12. There was virtually no way to redshirt talent like Carter. But thanks in part to Carter’s performances, a new road was paved and tournament appearances had become second nature (at least on even-number years). Suddenly, talent like Carter could be preserved for a later day.
“At that point on, our staff had thought about it,” Drew said about redshirting incoming new players. “Maybe we need to give our guys options just ‘cause that’s the fair thing to do.”
One of Drew’s proudest products that chose a redshirt was Cory Jefferson who sat his sophomore season in 2010 to retain later eligibility. Jefferson’s path forged a way for others like Johnathan Motley to follow but the choice to redshirt remains up to the players.
“We don’t make anyone redshirt,” Drew said. “We give ‘em the options and then give ‘em our thoughts. At the end of the day, it’s their final decision on everything.”
Motley came to Baylor in 2013 surrounded by a recruiting class ranked No. 13 nationally by ESPN. But with roster comprised of Jefferson, Rico Gathers, Isaiah Austin, and Brady Heslip who sat out as a transfer in 2010, there was comfort for Motley to sit out a season.
“When I first heard it, I didn’t really want to hear that, then I was just ready to play,” Motley said. “But I just talked to some people like my mom and just thought it’d be the better thing for me to do, just adding on weight and just getting better playing against Corey (Jefferson), Isaiah (Austin), and Rico (Gathers) everyday to prepare me today where I am now. Looking back on it, I’m thankful I did it.”
More than being named to the Wooden Watch Top 25 averaging nearly a double-double per game this season, Motley’s presence was pivotal in getting Baylor to its first top-ranking in program history. Though, he’s not the only player that has sat out for a season to develop more.
Point guard Manu Lecomte transferred from Miami (Fl.) and had to sit out per NCAA regulations. Now, he leads the team with 4.4 assists per game while hitting nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers to help elevate Baylor to its surprising level of success this year.
It’s a trend that hasn’t slowed any with Wendell Mitchell taking his redshirt last season and four-star forward Mark Vital sitting in the wings this season. All this traces back traces back to Carter.
The same cannot be said of the basketball program which had a losing record in four years in the Big 12. The Frogs have to lose 12 of their last 13 games to clinch their fifth-straight losing season. At 3-3 in conference play with key wins over Oklahoma and Iowa State (the first time TCU has beat both in the same season), a NCAA Tournament berth is more likely right now and a win over Baylor would surely move the Frogs into the top 25.
That’s all thanks to the work coach Jamie Dixon has done his first season in Fort Worth. Baylor is taking note.
“He’s done a tremendous job. Brought in a very good staff, added some key recruits that have really done a good job and then they’ve returned a good nucleus,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “They got a good combination of experience and some new talent and really played well.”
Drew also said what has made this team much more successful is the Big East style of play Dixon brought along from Pittsburgh.
Only missing the tournament in two of his 13 seasons coaching the Panthers, Dixon’s teams had to take on tough but smart personas to hang with the elite Big East and later ACC squads. The same areas where his best teams have excelled are where TCU has improved the most this season.
“Their backcourt’s been tremendous and I know with us, we’ve had good guard play this year as well," Drew said. "Inside, they’ve made huge strides as far as player development. Number 10 (Vladimir Brodziansky) might be one of the most improved players in the country.”
Last season, TCU struggled with ball movement and taking advantage of rare second-chance opportunities. This season, those are the areas the Frogs are best at.
With Alex Robinson leading the way with 5.6 assists per game and freshman Jaylen Fisher (one of Dixon’s greatest accomplishments in recruiting), TCU ranks 34th in the country in assists. That has also led to a seven percent uptick in shooting efficiency. The team ranks 63rd shooting 47 percent from the field with every starter shooting above last year’s team average.
That improvement has largely been led by Brodziansky who’s hauling in 5.8 rebounds to go with his 13.2 points per game while Kenrich Williams does the heavy lifting with 9.6 rebounds on average. Those two working in the paint have helped TCU jump to 98th in total rebounding, moving up over 50 spots from last season.
Even if TCU can't knock off Baylor and move into the top 25 rankings, Dixon's work has him primed to win the conference (if not national) Coach of the Year award barring some massive meltdown.
Tweety Carter's continued legacy; Jamie Dixon's impact for TCU
Tweety Carter's unique presence still felt at Baylor
Best remembered for helping Baylor reach the 2010 Elite Eight, Tweet Carter’s legacy hasn’t stopped there. Baylor may not be where it is today without Carter’s help even if he hasn’t been on the court for coach Scott Drew since the heartbreaking loss to Duke in the tournament.That season, Carter was a second-team All-Big 12 selection and was named the most improved player by Big 12 media. While he improved from his junior season to lead the league with 5.9 assists per game as a perimeter maverick, Carter still felt he could have improved more and live up to his billing as a McDonald’s All-American.
As Baylor’s first such recruit and the highest-scoring high school player in U.S. history, that hardly seemed like an option. There was immediate push to get Carter on the hardwood.
“I remember Tweety Carter said, ‘Why didn’t you let me redshirt my first year? I was a McDonald’s All-America but you still shoulda given me the option’,” Drew said.
When Carter first came on board, Baylor had never made the NCAA tournament or been nationally ranked while in the Big 12. There was virtually no way to redshirt talent like Carter. But thanks in part to Carter’s performances, a new road was paved and tournament appearances had become second nature (at least on even-number years). Suddenly, talent like Carter could be preserved for a later day.
“At that point on, our staff had thought about it,” Drew said about redshirting incoming new players. “Maybe we need to give our guys options just ‘cause that’s the fair thing to do.”
One of Drew’s proudest products that chose a redshirt was Cory Jefferson who sat his sophomore season in 2010 to retain later eligibility. Jefferson’s path forged a way for others like Johnathan Motley to follow but the choice to redshirt remains up to the players.
“We don’t make anyone redshirt,” Drew said. “We give ‘em the options and then give ‘em our thoughts. At the end of the day, it’s their final decision on everything.”
Motley came to Baylor in 2013 surrounded by a recruiting class ranked No. 13 nationally by ESPN. But with roster comprised of Jefferson, Rico Gathers, Isaiah Austin, and Brady Heslip who sat out as a transfer in 2010, there was comfort for Motley to sit out a season.
“When I first heard it, I didn’t really want to hear that, then I was just ready to play,” Motley said. “But I just talked to some people like my mom and just thought it’d be the better thing for me to do, just adding on weight and just getting better playing against Corey (Jefferson), Isaiah (Austin), and Rico (Gathers) everyday to prepare me today where I am now. Looking back on it, I’m thankful I did it.”
More than being named to the Wooden Watch Top 25 averaging nearly a double-double per game this season, Motley’s presence was pivotal in getting Baylor to its first top-ranking in program history. Though, he’s not the only player that has sat out for a season to develop more.
Point guard Manu Lecomte transferred from Miami (Fl.) and had to sit out per NCAA regulations. Now, he leads the team with 4.4 assists per game while hitting nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers to help elevate Baylor to its surprising level of success this year.
It’s a trend that hasn’t slowed any with Wendell Mitchell taking his redshirt last season and four-star forward Mark Vital sitting in the wings this season. All this traces back traces back to Carter.
Jamie Dixon has TCU looking like a dangerous tournament team
When TCU moved into the Big 12, there was hardly any learning curve for the Horned Frogs during the football season. They peaked at No. 15 in the country and finished with a 7-6 record. A couple years later, Gary Patterson’s crew became conference favorites with stranger recruiting classes lining outside the door.The same cannot be said of the basketball program which had a losing record in four years in the Big 12. The Frogs have to lose 12 of their last 13 games to clinch their fifth-straight losing season. At 3-3 in conference play with key wins over Oklahoma and Iowa State (the first time TCU has beat both in the same season), a NCAA Tournament berth is more likely right now and a win over Baylor would surely move the Frogs into the top 25.
That’s all thanks to the work coach Jamie Dixon has done his first season in Fort Worth. Baylor is taking note.
“He’s done a tremendous job. Brought in a very good staff, added some key recruits that have really done a good job and then they’ve returned a good nucleus,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “They got a good combination of experience and some new talent and really played well.”
Drew also said what has made this team much more successful is the Big East style of play Dixon brought along from Pittsburgh.
Only missing the tournament in two of his 13 seasons coaching the Panthers, Dixon’s teams had to take on tough but smart personas to hang with the elite Big East and later ACC squads. The same areas where his best teams have excelled are where TCU has improved the most this season.
“Their backcourt’s been tremendous and I know with us, we’ve had good guard play this year as well," Drew said. "Inside, they’ve made huge strides as far as player development. Number 10 (Vladimir Brodziansky) might be one of the most improved players in the country.”
Last season, TCU struggled with ball movement and taking advantage of rare second-chance opportunities. This season, those are the areas the Frogs are best at.
With Alex Robinson leading the way with 5.6 assists per game and freshman Jaylen Fisher (one of Dixon’s greatest accomplishments in recruiting), TCU ranks 34th in the country in assists. That has also led to a seven percent uptick in shooting efficiency. The team ranks 63rd shooting 47 percent from the field with every starter shooting above last year’s team average.
That improvement has largely been led by Brodziansky who’s hauling in 5.8 rebounds to go with his 13.2 points per game while Kenrich Williams does the heavy lifting with 9.6 rebounds on average. Those two working in the paint have helped TCU jump to 98th in total rebounding, moving up over 50 spots from last season.
Even if TCU can't knock off Baylor and move into the top 25 rankings, Dixon's work has him primed to win the conference (if not national) Coach of the Year award barring some massive meltdown.
Never miss the latest news from SicEm365!
Join our free email list