Big 12 Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)
By Joey Loose
6. Big 12 Basketball coach rankings – Scott Drew (Baylor, 2003-2020)
Surprisingly, Drew is the only person on the list who hasn’t coached a team to the Final Four in his career, but that doesn’t mean his spot is undeserved. He took over a Baylor program in 2003 that was absolutely devastated by scandal and violation. The road to prominence was long and rough for a Baylor team with four NCAA Tournaments in their history prior to Drew’s arrival. Clearly, the turnaround has been successful.
Simply put, Drew put Baylor on the map. He’s led the Bears to eight NCAA Tournaments and likely had a 1-seed if this season’s Tournament wasn’t canceled. His Baylor teams went on Elite Eight runs in 2010 and 2012, have an NIT title, and a few other impressive Tourney runs. After years of struggle, the Baylor program is prominent on the national stage.
Drew is an impressive recruiter and has completely built a national power at Baylor. The Bears weren’t even allowed to play nonconference games as a result of the horrible scandal before his arrival. Nowadays, Baylor is on top of the college basketball world, and Drew looks to have them competing at the top of the Big 12 for years to come. He’s certainly one of the most likely coaches to make his first Final Four in the next few seasons.