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It's been a long and great calendar year for Baylor athletics, though the bitter moments have been there along with the sweet. However, the academic and athletic year is just hitting its stride, and Baylor football and basketball still have more to succeed.
Baylor football plays their last game of the season on the first day of the new year tomorrow, and that game will be another stepping-stone on a long journey some on the team have taken, such as Cyril Richardson, who entered his junior year of high school a Katrina refugee and leaves college both with a diploma and as a highly praised NFL prospect. Demetri Goodson also took a path less traveled, as tomorrow he will become one of the few athletes to both participate in the NCAA Tournament and a BCS bowl game. Goodson and his fellow defensive backs have grown together as a team in the last few years, bound by the desire to improve.
Despite only selling 10,000 of the ticket allotment, athletic director Ian McCaw expects more than 20,000 Baylor fans to attend the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow night. This is important for the Bears, who need to show that they have a mobile and supportive fanbase for future bowl prospects, as well as TV broadcasts. And in yesterday's media meetings, Art Briles added another layer to his mystique, saying he'd be in the music business if he weren't a coach.
Baylor basketball defeated Oral Roberts 81-55 after a slow start in its last game of 2013 yesterday. Cory Jefferson led the Bears with 17 points, while Rico Gathers scored 10 and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Bears will host Savannah State this Friday at the Ferrell Center at 7:00 p.m.
