By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Selflessness and leadership are two words that can be used to describe No. 11 third-seeded Baylor men’s basketball redshirt senior guard Adam Flagler. In what is potentially Flagler’s final year as a Bear, he’s helped the team in a multitude of ways throughout his four years with the program.
Flagler transferred to Baylor before the 2019-20 season after being named the Big South Freshman of the Year in his true freshman season at Presbyterian College. Flagler sat out his first year with the Bears and retained eligibility via a redshirt, but he was learning behind NBA talent in hopes of becoming a household name.
“Adam’s somebody who has been in the program for a while, he’s played with some great guards, and now it’s his turn to give you experience,” head coach Scott Drew said. “One thing about Adam is he’s really selfless and really cares about the team, and he has a great feel for what we need to get this player a shot, we need to run this play for so-and-so.
“He does a great job moving the ball … It’s easy to follow guys who care more about the team than themselves, and Adam is one of those guys.”
In the guard’s first season with playing time, Baylor won the 2021 national championship. Flagler came off the bench in a key role behind the star-studded guard trio of Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler and MaCio Teague. Two years later, Flagler has taken on the role of being the lead point guard and has thrived.
“You have a culture of joy [at Baylor],” Drew said. “When things get tough, Adam, Flo [Thamba] and [Everyday] Jon do a great job making sure everyone stays together, controls what they can control and competes.”
Drew has transformed Baylor into a winning basketball program. With a mix of veteran leadership and young stars, the Bears have overcome a three game losing streak in conference play. Flagler led the team in minutes per game (32.4) and also tallied 15.5 points per game, second to only freshman guard Keyonte George (15.8 ppg).
Junior forward Jalen Bridges said he’s loved playing alongside Flagler since transferring from West Virginia University over the off-season.
“It’s a blessing, honestly, having guys that really don’t care about personal stats, personal accolades,” Bridges said. “It’s [a] culture of joy. We don’t care who is scoring. We just want to win at the end of the day.”
Flagler’s strong year landed him with a plethora of awards, including being unanimously selected to the All-Big 12 First Team, the AP All-Big 12 First team and he’s currently a finalist for the Jerry West Award, which recognizes the best shooting guard in the nation.
Along with all the success on the court this year, the Duluth, Ga., native has been instilling knowledge and passing along wisdom to the younger players at his position. Flagler said his goal was to step up as more of a leader from the first practice of the season.
“Being that I’ve been here for some time now, me, Flo, Jon, LJ [Cryer], guys that have been around and have been a part of a championship team as well, I definitely feel like it’s my role to step into that leadership, especially in the guard position where new guys like Keyonte, very skillful guys — Dale [Bonner] coming back, Dantwan [Grimes] coming in — just being able to lead them and kind of show them the ropes a little bit and show what Baylor basketball is,” Flagler said.
Baylor fans may see Flagler on the collegiate court for the Bears for the last time, but he’s expected to try to make a professional career out of the sport.
Flagler received positive feedback from NBA scouts over the previous off-season, and he may attempt to put his name into the 2023 NBA Draft. He does, however, have another year of NCAA elibility if he wanted to return.
Regardless, Flagler said he will always have love for Baylor and that there’s never a dull moment playing in the green and gold.
“Every time I step on the court, I don’t care how many times I’ve played, I still get goosebumps,” Flagler said.
