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NCAA Basketball: Mississippi Valley State at Baylor

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Baylor Hoops Enneagram

An informal introduction into the soul of this season’s Bears

Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Do you feel like you don’t quite have a handle on these new Baylor Bears? Sure, you’ve listened to the sit downs Branden did with Caleb Lohner and Jalen Bridges and Langston Love. Perhaps you even dove into Jed’s prodigious preview of the Bears in his analysis of the top of the Big 12 conference.

But for some, a more relatable, digestible roster preview would be useful as an introduction to all the new faces. Who are these guys? What are they supposed to do on this team? Are they a Type 2 Helper setting teammates up to score or a Type 7 Enthusiast leading the bench mob?

Our Daily Bears is here to help you inspect each player down to their very soul and give you a deep, personal connection to this special squad.

We’ll focus on the players you will see on the court this season. Honorable mentions to Jonathan Tchamwa-Tchatchoua, the biggest Type 7 Wing 8 you could ever want on your team and Dantwan Grimes, the Type 5 Wing 4 we look forward to seeing next year after his red shirt season.

Adam Flagler - Type 9 - The Peacemaker

Flagler is tasked this season with leading the team from the point guard position, a first for him. He’ll take care of the ball, set up his teammates, and settle everyone down by taking things into his own capable hands when the moment calls. He’s a Wing 1 Reformer who is perfecting his NBA skills while being this squad’s rock on and off the floor.

LJ Cryer - Type 3 - The Achiever

Cryer’s one job: shoot the ball. Boy does he excel at it, too. The Bears may not have a more accomplished, dangerous scorer on the roster. He’s a Wing 4 Individualist who could put on a one-man show any game.

Keyonte George - Type 8 - The Challenger

Do you like players who feel disrespected for no reason and then absolutely embarrass their defender before mean mugging the entire opposing bench? George is your man. The dude can score from all over the floor, put the ball on the floor, dish to teammates, defend, and block shots in the most disrespectful manner. As a Wing 7 Enthusiast, you never know when he’ll take over the moment and bring you to your feet with an ankle-breaking step-back three.

Jalen Bridges - Type 5 - The Investigator

Bridges may be the most focused player on the team, willing to dig in and do the work to win a game and improve his NBA prospects. He will knock down an insane rate of open threes this season. Put him on an island defensively, and he will lock down his man as a rangy, athletic wing defender. Don’t sell the transfer short, he’s a Wing 6 Loyalist who’s locked in and committed to the team.

Flo Thamba - Type 6 - Loyalist

We know Flo. He does all the dirty work asked of him. He’ll switch out and guard the perimeter. He’ll defend the paint. He’ll offensive rebound. He’ll throw his near 7’ body onto the ground at full force for a loose ball. This Wing 7 Enthusiast might go off for 20 or miss three bunnies in a row. You just know he’ll give it all he’s got.

Caleb Lohner - Type 2 - The Helper

Lohner is a gap filler. He’ll defend forwards or centers, grab rebounds on both ends, play unbelievably hard on defense, and please the crowd with violent dunks. A Type 3 Achiever, he’s the type to hit the gym following a game just to get those extra gains in because he just wants to decimate a defender at the rim that badly.

Dale Bonner - Type 2 - The Helper

Bonner is the guard version of Lohner. He’s willing to fit in wherever his team needs him. Ask him to defend, run the point, shoot off of a screen, whatever. He’s here to win games. He’s a Wing 1 Reformer - a steady presence off the bench who worked hard this off season to polish his game to become the kind of guard who would start for half the Big 12 conference.

Langston Love - Type 4 - The Individualist

Love is a downhill guard who will use his physicality to isolate his defender and move him out of the way en route to the paint. He’ll take it upon himself to grab the defensive rebound and push the ball up the floor for the advantage. Don’t mistake him for selfish, though. He’s a Wing 3 Achiever who’s worked hard in his rehab to come back and help fill out the guard rotation. He’ll play up as a wing defender while occasionally handling point guard duties, depending who he shares the floor with.

Josh Ojianwuna - Type 7 - The Enthusianst

The Big O will be the primary backup big. He’s got an enormous motor on the boards, and he wants desperately to block some shots. Will he bite on bad shot fakes? Probably. Will he make the occasional inexplicable decision? Almost definitely. But the ceiling is the roof, as they say, if he can tap into his physical potential. He’s a Wing 8 Challenger who will put his reputation on the line attempting to block an enormous dunk.

EDITORIAL NOTE: None the of players filled out an online quiz for the purposes of this article. They may or may not have completed one for personal reasons. The author of this article is not a certified enneagram counselor.

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