Dylan Fink | Sports Intern
Pigs flying. Fish walking. College basketball in July.
Baylor took to Germany this summer to represent the United States in the World University Games, hosted by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
Baylor played on behalf of the United States and earned a silver medal in the biannual international tournament, which features athletes aged 18-25 from around the world.
The Bears’ roster saw complete turnover after the 2025 season. The transfer portal, accompanied by the incoming freshman class, provided head coach Scott Drew with a roster to lead into the summer games.
“The games and the [team] bonding are awesome,” Drew said. “This is really good for us to know how our guys learn.”
At the forefront of the new roster is redshirt senior guard Obi Agbim, a Wyoming transfer. Agbim averaged 20.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, bringing home tournament MVP honors. His best showing was a 30-point, 11-rebound outing in the gold medal game, ultimately resulting in a 94-88 loss to Brazil.
Tennessee transfer Cameron Carr and senior Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr stood out as bright spots on the team. Carr, a redshirt sophomore who sat out the 2025 season as a mid-year transfer, showed out as both a defensive threat and a prolific high-flyer in the Games. Carr made a case for himself as a future fan-favorite on Baylor’s roster.
Skillings, who stands 6-foot-6, led the tournament in rebounds with 9.8 per game and earned Second Team All-World University Games honors. Skillings played hard and showed sneaky three-level scoring ability.
Despite a completely new roster, good chemistry for the Bears was already present in July.
“The more we talk, the better we do as a team, and the more we’re on a tandem on defense following each other,” Skillings said. “It’s all about talking.”
Baylor averaged 14.5 assists a game, in line with last season’s team average of 14.4, despite the roster turnover. Defensively, the Bears demonstrated a level of defensive chemistry that hasn’t been seen in Waco since 2022.
“We’re taking pride in defense and not being the one to get scored on,” Carr said.
Three projected starters did not play for the Bears in the tournament.
Five-star freshman wing (and potential lottery pick) Tounde Yessoufou, junior center Juslin Bodo Bodo and senior forward Rataj could not play with Team USA in the tournament because they are international players.
“The only negative is that we don’t have all our guys here,” Drew said.
Rataj played for Germany in the tournament, averaging over 18 points per game and bringing home the tournament’s award for best forward.
The addition of the three international players to the already developing roster offers plenty of reasons for optimism. The Bears’ size, raw athleticism and defensive chemistry resemble dominant Baylor defenses of the past.
The Bears will open their season Nov. 3 against UT–Rio Grande Valley at the Foster Pavilion.
