Baylor Men's Basketball Back From the Dead

Bears are 12-2, led by Scott Drew, the right man for the revival
By Mike Buss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2008 6:18 AM CST
Baylor Men's Basketball Back From the Dead
Baylor University Basketball head coach Dave Bliss answers questions about the disappearance of player Patrick Dennehy during a press conference on Thursday, July 10, 2003 in the team's locker room. Bliss was later fired in the midst of an athletic department scandal.   (KRT Photos)

Scott Drew wanted to build a basketball program from the bottom up and Baylor University, torn apart by a player's murder, improper payments to athletes and a sleazy former coach, offered that opportunity, writes ESPN. The consensus opinion on Drew's move from a comfy position as a mid-major coach was something along the lines of "he must be crazy."

But solid recruiting, which included landing the school's first-ever McDonald's All-American, and a lot of positive thinking has brought this program back to relevance and integrity. And despite the shadow of NCAA probation until 2010, this season Drew has been able to say "this is what a normal program feels like." Baylor is no longer on the bottom. (More NCAA basketball stories.)

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