By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
The transfer portal era is in full swing in Waco.
After three straight second-round exits in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Scott Drew has overhauled the Baylor men’s basketball roster, bringing in nine newcomers — including three major-conference transfers and three blue-chip recruits.
“We’re really excited, like every coach is right now, because you’ve got great hope and great excitement,” Drew said. “We love the group we’ve put together, just like everybody else out there. But I really like the experience with the inexperience. It’s tough to get that blend nowadays, and I really feel the coaches did a great job, the assistant coaches, in bringing together a group that likes one another, that plays for each other, and at the same time provide a lot of different experiences that make you a well-rounded team.”
Four NBA players are heading out the door, including first-round picks Ja’Kobe Walter, now with the Toronto Raptors, and Yves Missi, now playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. Priority undrafted free agent Jalen Bridges now plays forward for the Phoenix Suns and RayJ Dennis signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month. Jonathan Tchamwa-Tchatchoua joined the San Antonio Spurs as a guest coach for summer league. Caleb Lohner and Miro Little transferred to newly minted conference foe Utah, Lohner to play football. Former walk-on and fan favorite Austin Sacks is finally out of eligibility.
But the cupboard is far from bare for Drew, who rebuffed offseason advances from Kentucky to remain at Baylor.
https://twitter.com/BUDREW/status/1778105249506402505
In comes the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history, headlined by a pair of five-stars: über-athlete VJ Edgecombe, the highest-ranked recruit in program history, and high-powered point guard Rob Wright, whose early returns drew rave reviews from his teammates. Four-star wing Jason Asemota should also push for playing time after starring at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix.
“[It’s] almost like an AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] – but way more structured, way more disciplined, and this team’s gonna be a really good team,” Asemota said. “I’m just looking forward to winning. ‘Cause we’re going to win a lot of games, and we’re going to face a lot of good teams, and I’m just so excited to see how we face adversity when it comes.”
Edgecombe will inevitably draw the most headlines after shining for the Bahamas alongside NBA players at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament this summer. The No. 4 recruit in the country is set to make an instant impact on both sides of the floor.
“I feel like VJ is going to actually help this team a lot,” junior center Josh Ojianwuna said. “He’s a very good defensive player, and I feel like our team is a team who will buy in on defense, I feel like that’s a win for us. I feel like VJ is gonna impress the team a lot both on defense and offense. … I feel like everyone has the drive he has on buying in on defense; I feel like we’ll have a chance to go very far this year.”
But beyond the hype, don’t expect all three freshmen to start on day one. They’ll get a luxury rarely afforded to stacked recruiting classes in today’s college basketball landscape: the opportunity to play with other established stars.
Enter fifth-year senior Duke transfer guard Jeremy Roach, who averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his senior season with the Blue Devils, and fifth-year senior Miami transfer forward Norchad Omier, who averaged 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in 2023-24. The pair come to Waco with Final Four experience, and will play key roles on and off the court on a roster without much built-in veteran leadership.
“Jeremy and Norchad, both Final Four participants, and people that are all-conference, and put numbers in the books, and most of all, won for really good programs,” Drew said. “So they bring a lot of really good wisdom and experience to the table. At the same time, they haven’t reached all the goals and dreams they want to, and they have an opportunity to do that one more year with the COVID year.”
Three rotation players remain: Ojianwuna, redshirt junior guard Langston Love and senior guard Jayden Nunn. They bear the unique responsibility of passing on the Bears’ ‘Culture of JOY’ to a new generation.
“I just try to get everybody on the rope,” said Love, the longest-tenured player on the team. “That’s our saying that we have here, ‘Everybody on the rope.’ Everybody’s coming in new from different programs, and I just wanna show them what we do at Baylor. Once that is instilled, then everything’s gonna be right.”
Baylor men’s basketball has not announced its official non-conference schedule, but plans to do so in coming weeks. Stay up to date with all things Baylor Athletics on @BULariatSports on X, formerly known as Twitter, or baylorlariat.com/sports.
