By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
When Baylor men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew posted his dedication to Baylor on Thursday morning to officially take his name out of the hat for the Kentucky job, a subtle roar took over Waco. From murmuring in classes to dancing at Fountain Mall, there were smiles all around that could be traced back to one man’s decision to keep his home base at Baylor.
Across 36 hours, a story developed involving Drew being the primary candidate for the Blue Blood program before flight tracking and a later announcement landed the head coach back at the banks of the Brazos River.
“I was stressing, but then I put more factors into it, and I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s not leaving,’” Houston freshman Eric Hollingsworth said. “I was happy [after hearing the news]. I started jumping, I was so happy.
“I’ve never been that happy in my life. That’s the biggest offseason thing we’ve ever had. Sorry, Kentucky.”
Just over an hour after turning down interest from the University of Kentucky, Scott Drew made his return to the Ferrell Center to rejoin his coaching staff and players at Baylor. pic.twitter.com/0WL1WJjOH5
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) April 11, 2024
Like Hollingsworth, other students felt confident that Drew would stick around in Waco because he meant so much to the program. The worries faded away quickly for Fort Worth freshman Jackson Thompson, who didn’t ever doubt Drew’s commitment to the team, which has instilled more confidence for the rest of his Baylor tenure.
“His leadership puts a lot more confidence into next season — something I’m definitely looking forward to,” Thompson said. “I think he is the head of our team and the program in general. To see him stay another year while we’re also losing some good players again gives me confidence.”
In the spur of the drama, a midday Drew tweet has inspired Baylor students to tag Mi Casita and make it the new Tex-Mex hotspot, as more than 100 students have flocked to the restaurant since his appearance.
“I’m actually going later today. I’m eating there with a group of friends,” Hollingsworth said. “He was not going to post that and then leave.”
The infamous Scott Drew booth at Mi Casita isn’t roped off JUST yet #SicEm pic.twitter.com/A7LpuVxCGg
— Nicole Shearin (@NicoleShearintv) April 11, 2024
From the moments on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the emotions in the new Foster Pavilion months ago, students clamored for a statue and used the same word to describe the past few days: “electric.”
“It’s electric. I love to see him coming back,” Cypress freshman Ryan Roberts said. “I was kind of sad he was [considering] leaving, but he’s here to stay now. We’re going to win the [national] championship. We’re going to win it all.”
Several other students shared Roberts’ sentiment as expectations remain sky-high for the men’s basketball program with Drew still at the helm.
“We have the best recruiting class we’ve ever had,” Hollingsworth said of the 2024-25 season’s potential. “I think we have a chance to win the natty next year.”
