Baylor Basketball: 3 takeaways from decisive win over No. 9 Kansas

3. There might not be a player on Baylor’s roster who does as many things that don’t show up in the box score as Tchamwa Tchatchoua – and his future is bright

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is the embodiment of the type of player any coach would love to have on their team: a physical, do-it-all guy who gives it his all on both ends of the court.  In his first season with the Bears after transferring from UNLV, Tchamwa Tchatchoua has been the glue-guy for Baylor coming off the bench, and his contributions against the Jayhawks were key.

The sophomore tallied eight points (4-5 FG) off the bench, his most since December 29th, while hauling down five boards and recording two blocks.  That is not necessarily the most impressive stat line – but, even with Butler, Teague, and Mitchell all recording double-digits, no Baylor player was a better positive than Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who was a plus-11 in 23 minutes.

Tchamwa Tchatchoua does a lot of things that do not show up in the box score, like setting successful screens that lead to buckets, or diving on the floor for a loose ball, or drawing charges.  All three of those were on display for Tchamwa Tchatchoua against Kansas, and it bodes well for the Bears moving forward.

Baylor’s starting five has not changed at all in their opening 13 games, and the Bears have primarily relied on three players off the bench in Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer, and Tchamwa Tchatchoua.  With Teague and Mark Vital both seniors – and with the potential for Butler and Mitchell to potentially depart at the end of the year for professional opportunities – the gate is open for those three to step in and take charge.

This was talked about at the end of the broadcast by Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas, and it really is not an unrealistic expectation: Tchamwa Tchatchoua, barring any sudden departure, could be a double-double player for the Bears next season.  He has bought into Scott Drew’s hard-nosed defensive system, and he could very much be the anchor for Baylor moving forward, depending on the status of Butler and Mitchell after this season.

As a sophomore, Tchamwa Tchatchoua is only going to get better – and all the signs point to him flourishing and potentially becoming an All-Conference type of player.  He is already shooting clips of 60.5% (46-76) inside and 78.6% (22-28) from the charity stripe while ranking 31st nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (14.6%) – and those could potentially become better when he inevitably finds himself in the starting lineup one day.

Moving forward, the Bears will have another difficult challenge on the road on Saturday, traveling to take on an Oklahoma State squad that has picked off Texas Tech and Kansas while nearly usurping Texas and West Virginia.  This is a game that Baylor cannot sleep on whatsoever – and one they cannot afford to lose if they hope to keep up with Gonzaga nationally.