Baylor Basketball: Bears recruiting class increases wing depth

Baylor basketball focused on wing depth with their 2016 recruiting class.

It’s no secret that Baylor lost a major part of the identity when Rico Gathers, Taurean Prince, and Lester Medford graduated.

Those three were a major part of why the Bears competed as hard as they did against the conference’s top teams.

A couple other players graduated or transferred, but replacing Baylor’s trio of stars is priority number one in Waco.

Four new faces will see the court next year in their stead.

Leading the charge is former Miami (FL) guard Manu Lecomte. The 5’11” guard averaged nearly eight points and two assists in his two seasons in Miami. He likely takes over as the primary distributor for the Bears with Medford graduating.

Lecomte doesn’t look like much of a driver or finisher in the paint with his size, but has the potential to strike from deep – he hit nearly 46% of his threes as a sophomore. He also has a wealth of experience (thanks to his former ACC membership) that will be vital to a program undergoing a fairly large transition.

From the freshman class, Mark Vital is the star out of the gate. The 70th best player according to ESPN, Vital has excellent size and could push some of the returning Bears for a starting spot.

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He looks to be extremely athletic and has the strength to finish at the rim, so he should be a dynamic slasher from day one. He’ll have to develop a more consistent outside game and hasn’t had to defend the sort of athletes holding court in the Big 12, but Vital will be a key part of Baylor’s competitiveness going forward.

The other freshman coming aboard is shooting guard Tyson Jolly. The Oklahoma City, OK prep product committed to Baylor over Cal. He could start in a season or two, but for now there is a major logjam at his position with three or four other experienced bodies in front of him.

If and when he does ultimately play, Jolly is a tenacious defender and a good athlete who can drive to the rim and finish. He needs to improve his passing ability out of the drive and get more consistency out of his jump shot, but Jolly could be a steal in future years.

The final new face is Indian HIlls (IA) CC forward Nuni Omot. In his most recent campaign, he averaged 12.2 points and 5.4 boards while shooting 55% from the field.

He also showed some ability to hit from outside with a mark of 31%. Omot likely sits on the line between a three and a four when on the court, but is probably needed more down low as a stretch-forward.

JUCO transitions aren’t always the smoothest, but Indian Hills is one of the best basketball programs in America at its level. Omot should be a fine addition for Baylor for his last two years of eligibility.

Next: 11 transfers off to greener pastures

The Baylor recruiting class won’t leap off the page with just one high rated recruit. However, a high-major transfer, a solid JUCO prospect, and a second promising first-year athlete rounds out the class quite nicely.

The Bears have the talent to stick in the Big 12’s top half, but jumping above fourth might be tough to conceive with the production that left the team.

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