Here Come the BasketBears Pt. 1

Scott Drew has done it again. Super experienced lead guard? Check. Hyper-talented lottery talent? Check. Bevy of surrounding players who can shoot, pass, dribble? Check, check, check. Basketball in just 3 weeks? Can it be sooner?

In preparation, we’ll be breaking down the roster by position groups this week. the following two weeks will center around the state of the conference and some season predictions.

First up in our previews - the guards, of course.

Baylor has one of the deepest, toughest, most experienced guard rotations in the country. That’s as important as every in a Big 12 that brought in another national powerhouse program in Arizona, especially since it gives the Bears needed injury protection.

Leading the pack will be Jeremy Roach, a graduate student from Duke playing his fifth season of college basketball and his fourth as the starter of a team with national title aspirations. Among his better qualities are his improving 3-point shot (34% and 43% the last two seasons, a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3 assists to 1.4 turnovers last season), and the ability to turn the ball over despite being 6’ 2”. He’s been the starter on two teams to reach the Elite 8 and has made the Final Four. He’ll bring a high level of confidence and poise to the floor and should love playing in a scheme that puts the ball in his hands with a high-ball screen and spaced floor. Roach has experience playing next to a high-level freshman backcourt partner, too, having shared time with Jared McCain last season. That should ease the fit with him and VJ Edgecombe, who himself has experience playing in high-level games with NBA talent.

Speaking of, did anyone see that young dude ball out for the Bahamas in this summer’s olympic qualifying games? Edgecombe was 2nd on his team in PER (20.8), 3rd in points (16.5) behind Buddy Field and Deandre Ayton, 2nd in rebounds (5.5), and 2nd in assists (3.8). Longtime NBA veteran Eric Gordon was also on the team. In short, he was the most impactful player on a team where he could have easily been a 3rd or 4th wheel. He’s an aggressive defender with a little size at 6’ 5”. Edgecome is - praise be 🙌 - even more aggressive with the ball in his hands.

Baylor, get ready, baby.

Around these two, Jayden Nunn, Langston Love, and Robert Wright III will profit off of open looks and wide lanes to the rim. Nunn and Love (if and when he’s finally healthy) both played the three-and-D roles well last season while also showing the ability to take over a game offensively. They’re two starting-caliber guards who won’t play full starter minutes simply because of the depth on the roster. If Love could get and stay healthy by the end of the season, Drew will have a brilliant mix of shooting, down-hill driving, kick-out passing maniacs dicing up opposing defenses. Meanwhile, Wright is drawing plenty of attention in his own right. He was a consummate winner in high school and is steady with the ball despite his youth. Expect him to get plenty of minutes while Love is out to start the year. That will be his big audition to be a big piece once conference play gets rolling.