Well after the events of last night, I certainly needed a little break, I don't know about you guys. But we're back now and there are links that need to be dumped, stories that need to be shared, words that need to be typed.
Before I get to that, I wanted to make sure my intent was clear last night-- I'm not saying Baylor should fire Scott Drew. Ever. I thought that was self-evident from the praise I heaped upon the job he's done here in my last paragraph, but apparently it wasn't. I don't want Scott Drew to lose his job, be relegated to recruiting coordinator, or be thrown into a pit with the Rancor. He would be scooped up within minutes if we ever thought about getting rid of him. Young, successful recruiting machines don't exactly grow on trees.
I'm saying that Drew needs to be given the directive and the money to go out and hire the best possible staff of assistant coaches to help him where he is weak in terms of actual coaching. Our problems don't start in the games we actually play; they start on the practice court with relatively simple things like back cuts, rebounding, boxing out, help defense, etc. etc. etc. I think the ideal person would be an older ex-coach/player who will command respect without breaking the family atmosphere Drew has tried to foster. Someone who won't challenge Drew's authority, because the last thing I want is to undercut him with the team, but help clean up some of the fundamental errors our players make that let teams with less talent beat them consistently.
I hope that it doesn't seem like I'm overreacting to the Kansas disaster last night, I don't mean to. Last night was not the first time I've thought that this is what our program needs. It's not the first time I've heard it from other Baylor fans, either. What we're seeing is the natural result of a still-young coach who simply needs help, and it is not a sign of weakness for him or us to admit it. It is not trashing Scott Drew to say that he has shortcomings as a coach that can and should be addressed. Like I said last night, Art Briles realized it when he hired Phil Bennett. Kim Mulkey realized it when she hired Leon Barmore. It is the ultimate sign of strength to recognize your limitations and work to correct them.
Let's hit the links after the jump.
Putting a little distance between us and last night's debacle, we'll start with a story about Mulkey's continued reaction to Texas A&M's departure, WBB, other conference news:
Baylor Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey still fuming about Texas A&M's exit from the Big 12 -- The Shootaround - espnW - "As far as I'm concerned, it will be [the last time A&M plays in Waco]," Mulkey said. "Speaking for myself it will be, unless there's an NCAA tournament game here in the future and they get placed here or something. I'm not going to play them."
Country star Trace Adkins to appear at crush's Baylor game | News - Home- Country singing star Trace Adkins says he's had a crush on Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey ever since they both attended Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s.
Texas Tech wants all or nothing in regards to A&M rivalry | CollegeFootballTalk- Now A&M looks like they’ll lose another Big 12 rival for similar reasons. Speaking to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said his school would not schedule A&M in the future unless the two schools agreed to compete in nonconference matchups in every sport, not just football.
Texas A&M won't be scheduled by two Big 12 rivals after move to SEC | College Sports Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | The Dallas Morning News- In the weeks and months since the Aggies announced their move to the SEC their bitter rival, Texas, has hesitated when questioned about scheduling the Aggies in the future.
WVU primed for $11 million Big East cash payment - WVU Sports - Charleston Daily Mail - West Virginia News and Sports -- MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University is moving fast toward resolving its legal issues with the Big East Conference and joining the Big 12. Sources familiar with the negotiations told the Daily Mail Wednesday the university is nearly finished with a resolution to pay a "cash settlement" of $11 million to complete its exit from the Big East.
WVU-Big East legal questions answered - Big 12 Blog - ESPN- The Big East and West Virginia have yet to work out a resolution to their competing lawsuits, but there is a status hearing set for Thursday in the case filed in Rhode Island.
Now a little football news going into the offseason. Expect a lot more like this analyzing weaknesses, gaps, and how teams will respond. Baylor made this list.
Boise, Oklahoma St., Nebraska among teams with biggest offseason voids to fill - CFB - ESPN- Now that the 2012 recruiting classes have been signed, sealed and delivered, it's time to take a look at the programs around college football with the biggest voids to fill between now and the start of next season.
And now back to the game last night, recruiting, and other basketball news. The comments about Gathers' recruitment are especially interesting.
The Five Most Important Takeaways From College Basketball's Second Opening Night - SBNation.com- 2. Baylor Is Who Most People Thought They Were Baylor has at least two future NBA players in its starting lineup, its only lost three games heading into mid-February, and it is absolutely no threat to cut down the nets in New Orleans. Wednesday night's loss to Kansas was Exhibit C.
Kansas humbles Baylor, maintains grip on Big 12 | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
As Kansas concluded a 32-4 blitz to silence a sellout crowd and take control of Wendesday's supposed Big 12 showdown, it was easy to forget there was a time when Baylor seemed to have the chance to seize momentum.Rapid Reaction: Kansas 68, Baylor 54 - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN- Overview: Baylor desperately wants to be considered a top-10 team. It has the players and the voter-supported ranking. What it doesn't have is the monumental victories it takes to legitimize the program. And that didn't change Wednesday night.
Baylor not ready for big time or Kansas | Baylor Bears | Sports News and Videos on the Dallas...
WACO -- Not yet. Not by a long shot. That is the latest update in regard to No. 6 Baylor's readiness to claim its first conference championship in men's basketball in 62 years. No. 7 Kansas provided a startling reality check Wednesday, rolling into the Ferrell Center and steamrolling Baylor 68-54 in what was billed as the biggest home game in the history of the Bears' program.Baylor coach Scott Drew defends defense / LJWorld.com
"Them having a great coaching staff over there, they adjusted to it," Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson said. "And we didn’t answer back."-- I clipped this quote because of how closely it aligns with what I said last night. I knew I liked Pierre Jackson for a reason.Losing Ricardo Gathers - And The Valley Shook
Only a few days after committing to the Baylor Bears basketball team, it seems like LSU's future is as bleak as ever. The reports seem to indicate that he had interest in LSU, but that interest wasn't mutual, or mutual enough for his liking. In a clearly football oriented state that produces many great athletes for the gridiron, Louisiana is on the other end of the spectrum for basketball.Recruit's comments about LSU clarified | The Advertiser | theadvertiser.com
"[Drew] flew into see us play at Brother Martin on a Thursday night (Jan. 5), then flew out immediately because he had a road game on Saturday (at Texas Tech in Lubbock)," Byrd said. "Ricardo was blown away that he would come into see him like that right before a game. It made a huge impression on him."-- When people ask you why/how Scott Drew gets the recruits he does, this is the answer. He works harder than just about any coach in America at recruiting.