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Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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Post: #1
Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
Baylor in 2003:
- Had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1988
- Had made 1 NCAA Tournament since 1950
- Had a murder within the team where one player killed another player
- Was considered for the death penalty by the NCAA for repeated violations
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005...basketball

Baylor hired:
- A rookie coach who went 20-11 in the Mid-Continent with no NCAAT
- Never coached as an assistant anywhere but Valparaiso


That coach just won Baylor the national championship.
04-05-2021 11:00 PM
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Nittany_Bearcat Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
What sort of odds would you have gotten in August 2003 as regards "Scott Drew, the new Baylor hire, will lead them to a National Championship some day"?

I don't think it's hyperbolic to say the odds would have been on the order of 1 million to 1.
04-05-2021 11:11 PM
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Renandpat Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-05-2021 11:00 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Baylor in 2003:
- Had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1988
- Had made 1 NCAA Tournament since 1950
- Had a murder within the team where one player killed another player
- Was considered for the death penalty by the NCAA for repeated violations
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005...basketball

Baylor hired:
- A rookie coach who went 20-11 in the Mid-Continent with no NCAAT
- Never coached as an assistant anywhere but Valparaiso


That coach just won Baylor the national championship.
Pat Summit was a better hire as were Rick Pitino at Kentucky, Jim Calhoun with UConn, Denny Crum at Louisville, and even UCLA hiring Wooden.
Wooden while it took 12 years to start his title run.
(This post was last modified: 04-05-2021 11:16 PM by Renandpat.)
04-05-2021 11:12 PM
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johnintx Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
He took the job when no one else would. Baylor stuck with him, he stuck with Baylor. They got better every year. Lots of good teams make the Final Four or the national championship game and don't win the whole thing. Baylor just did.

Scott Drew just won a national championship for Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Incredible.
04-05-2021 11:18 PM
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
Far as I can tell, the AD who made quite possibly the best hire ever, Tom Stanton, resigned that summer and vanished into obscurity.
04-05-2021 11:19 PM
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johnintx Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-05-2021 11:19 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Far as I can tell, the AD who made quite possibly the best hire ever, Tom Stanton, resigned that summer and vanished into obscurity.

Sheet Music Man! That's what the people on Baylorfans called him years ago. His background was music publishing. There was a major Christian music publisher based in Waco at the time, and he moved to Baylor from there. He was Baylor's AD during the depths of futility for both their football and basketball programs. He was the scapegoat for a lot of issues in that era, but he's looking wise tonight.
04-05-2021 11:26 PM
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DFW HOYA Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
Every era has these kind of coaching decisions. For example...

Georgetown in 1972:
- Had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1943
- One NIT appearance since 1953
- Did not fund a full time coaching position until 1967
- Had three wins that season

Georgetown hired:
- A 30 year old high school coach with no college experience
- None of his assistants had coached in college before
04-05-2021 11:35 PM
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Fort Bend Owl Online
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
I'm not sure if you can make that claim off 1 year. Let's see if he can maintain that success. There have been some programs in recent years to get to the Final Four from programs facing even higher odds than Baylor - and what have they done since their Final Fours? Baylor had some issues but they're still a Big 12 program and plenty of schools from that conference have made it to the Final Four recently (Texas Tech was in the most recent championship before tonight). And Baylor has won plenty of national titles in other sports in recent years so it's not like that school is a sports black hole. They still have an administration that wants them to succeed in sports, and a conference affiliation which allows them to recruit with much bigger schools.

If you want to look back a bit, people like John Thompson at Georgetown, Ray Meyer at Depaul and Louie Carneseca at St. John's had amazing success at inner-city schools that have pretty much gone back to mid-level success after they left.
04-05-2021 11:39 PM
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Todor Online
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Post: #9
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
I'm not sure I'd call Ripleys Believe it or Not just yet..

First, he wasn't the ONLY person who would take the job. Tons of other coaches would have jumped at the chance.

Second, its in a major conference, with a highly successful athletics program, overall, that spends a lot of money, and gave him lots of time to work with.

There's 350 plus teams in D1 basketball. The odds of "you name the school and situation" winning at any given time are all long.
04-06-2021 12:59 AM
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cuseroc Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-05-2021 11:18 PM)johnintx Wrote:  He took the job when no one else would. Baylor stuck with him, he stuck with Baylor. They got better every year. Lots of good teams make the Final Four or the national championship game and don't win the whole thing. Baylor just did.

Scott Drew just won a national championship for Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Incredible.


I dont know about getting better every year, but Scott Drew has been a medicre coach for the most part with some great years thrown in there when he has great talent. His overall coaching record is not great and not bad 391–226 (.633) . But now he has a national championship which is what every coach wants:

Statistics overview

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Valparaiso Crusaders (Mid-Continent Conference) (2002–2003)
2002–03 Valparaiso 20–11 12–2 1st NIT Opening Round
Valparaiso: 20–11 (.645) 12–2 (.857)

Baylor Bears (Big 12 Conference) (2003–present)
2003–04 Baylor 8–21 3–13 11th Ineligible
2004–05 Baylor 9–19 1–15 12th
2005–06 Baylor 4–13 4–12 12th
2006–07 Baylor 15–16 4–12 11th
2007–08 Baylor 21–11 9–7 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2008–09 Baylor 24–15 5–11 9th NIT Runner-up
2009–10 Baylor 28–8 11–5 T–2nd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2010–11 Baylor 18–13 7–9 T–7th
2011–12 Baylor 30–8 12–6 T–3rd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2012–13 Baylor 23–14 9–9 T–4th NIT Champion
2013–14 Baylor 26–12 9–9 T–6th NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2014–15 Baylor 24–10 11–7 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2015–16 Baylor 22–12 10–8 T–5th NCAA Round of 64
2016–17 Baylor 27–8 12–6 T–2nd NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2017–18 Baylor 19–15 8–10 T–6th NIT Second Round
2018–19 Baylor 20–14 10–8 4th NCAA Division I Round of 32
2019–20 Baylor 26–4 15–3 2nd Canceled due to COVID-19
2020–21 Baylor 28–2 13–1 1st NCAA Division I Champion
Baylor: 371–215 (.632) 153–151 (.503)
Total: 391–226 (.633)
04-06-2021 06:03 AM
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esayem Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
I think Drew was very smart the way he picked that job. Baylor didn’t have very high expectations for basketball, and it’s a power conference job. So he knew he could build them into something all his own so long as he consistently put up winning records. The first handful of years were rocky, but he’s had a winning record since 2007-08.

Although public schools, I would say jobs like FSU, Miami, Penn State, Alabama, and Clemson are similar. The fan base is fixated on football so a coach can build a successful basketball program there with a longer leash. TCU is an obvious comparison in Baylor’s own conference.
04-06-2021 06:52 AM
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jgkojak Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
I think anyone of good character could have improved that program - it was in the toilet and had no where to go but up.

The Nat Champ changes perceptions for sure. If he gets them back to the FF and in contention in next few years, he will have cemented his legacy and probably pulled Baylor into the near-elite level permanently.
04-06-2021 09:42 AM
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Gamecock Offline
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Post: #13
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
He's up there for sure. Let's see what he does from here.
04-06-2021 09:55 AM
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Wedge Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-05-2021 11:00 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Baylor in 2003:
- Had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1988
- Had made 1 NCAA Tournament since 1950
- Had a murder within the team where one player killed another player
- Was considered for the death penalty by the NCAA for repeated violations
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005...basketball

And, the previous coach was corrupt -- he paid players and wound up with a 10-year "show cause" penalty from the NCAA. The entire mess is summarized in a Wikipedia article, here are the violations found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylor_Uni...#Penalties

The job was so toxic that in retrospect, coupled with the fact Drew's career was already promising, it's surprising that he was willing to take it instead of going elsewhere.

Still, as others have mentioned in the comments, there are several other coaches who have taken a program from the bottom to the top of the sport -- I'll add Lute Olson to the list -- though the others didn't have the toxicity that Drew inherited at Baylor.
04-06-2021 11:55 AM
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ken d Offline
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Post: #15
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?
04-06-2021 01:20 PM
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-06-2021 01:20 PM)ken d Wrote:  Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Not GOAT.

Best hire for where the program started (no NCAA's in 15 years, 1 NCAA in 53 years, near death penalty, intra-team murder) and where the program ended up (national champions).
04-06-2021 01:32 PM
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ken d Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-06-2021 01:32 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:20 PM)ken d Wrote:  Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Not GOAT.

Best hire for where the program started (no NCAA's in 15 years, 1 NCAA in 53 years, near death penalty, intra-team murder) and where the program ended up (national champions).

That makes it the best hire in Baylor basketball history, not college basketball history. It turned out to be a great hire. We don't need to make it more than it is. 04-cheers
04-06-2021 04:38 PM
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virgosports Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-06-2021 04:38 PM)ken d Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:32 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:20 PM)ken d Wrote:  Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Not GOAT.

Best hire for where the program started (no NCAA's in 15 years, 1 NCAA in 53 years, near death penalty, intra-team murder) and where the program ended up (national champions).

That makes it the best hire in Baylor basketball history, not college basketball history. It turned out to be a great hire. We don't need to make it more than it is. 04-cheers

Whom woukd you think is (are) better hires? Or are best unexpectedly successful hire ?
04-06-2021 05:00 PM
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Wahoowa84 Offline
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Post: #19
RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-06-2021 05:00 PM)virgosports Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 04:38 PM)ken d Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:32 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:20 PM)ken d Wrote:  Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Not GOAT.

Best hire for where the program started (no NCAA's in 15 years, 1 NCAA in 53 years, near death penalty, intra-team murder) and where the program ended up (national champions).

That makes it the best hire in Baylor basketball history, not college basketball history. It turned out to be a great hire. We don't need to make it more than it is. 04-cheers

Whom woukd you think is (are) better hires? Or are best unexpectedly successful hire ?

There are so many great basketball coaches that have elevated their programs to sustained higher levels. Just from the ACC and Big East...

UNC - Dean Smith
Duke - Mike Krzyzewski
Syracuse - Jim Boeheim
Georgetown- John Thompson Jr
UConn - Jim Calhoun
DePaul - Ray Meyers

What Drew and Baylor accomplished is impressive, but best hire in history is going way too far.
04-06-2021 05:30 PM
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IWokeUpLikeThis Offline
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RE: Scott Drew - Best hire in college basketball history?
(04-06-2021 05:30 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 05:00 PM)virgosports Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 04:38 PM)ken d Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:32 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  
(04-06-2021 01:20 PM)ken d Wrote:  Basketball history is a long time. G.O.A.T.? Might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Not GOAT.

Best hire for where the program started (no NCAA's in 15 years, 1 NCAA in 53 years, near death penalty, intra-team murder) and where the program ended up (national champions).

That makes it the best hire in Baylor basketball history, not college basketball history. It turned out to be a great hire. We don't need to make it more than it is. 04-cheers

Whom woukd you think is (are) better hires? Or are best unexpectedly successful hire ?

There are so many great basketball coaches that have elevated their programs to sustained higher levels. Just from the ACC and Big East...

UNC - Dean Smith
Duke - Mike Krzyzewski
Syracuse - Jim Boeheim
Georgetown- John Thompson Jr
UConn - Jim Calhoun
DePaul - Ray Meyers

What Drew and Baylor accomplished is impressive, but best hire in history is going way too far.

Dean Smith took over a program that won the national championship 5 years earlier!

Coach K inherited a program that had just been to the Elite 8 and National Final.

Syracuse had just been to the Final 4 2 years before Boeheim.

UConn had 13 NCAA Tournaments before Calhoun.

DePaul had 13 of 14 winning seasons before Ray Meyer including an undefeated season.

Georgetown is the only example in your list that comes within the same galaxy as Baylor.
04-06-2021 06:46 PM
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