Baylor Basketball: Re-ranking the top 20 Bear players from 2000-21

19. Manu Lecomte PG (2016-2018)

Undersized point guards were always a main stable with Baylor and a norm for Scott Drew, especially with transfers. Lecomte fits that exact mold as the transfer from Miami slid into the Bears rotation and fit like a glove.

Lecomte scored 13+ in each of his first four games as a Bear, including 18 in a blowout upset of #4 Oregon. Lecomte would continue to be a major asset, scored 24 in a big win at home against Top 10 Xavier, being a part of a 15-game winning streak to begin the year.

He would continue to dazzle with amazing individual performances with 26 on the road against Kansas State and five three-pointers against Ole Miss in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Lecomte and the Bears’ season would end in the Sweet 16 and the Bears for the first time, reached the prestigious ranking of #1 in the country. Lecomte would make All-Big 12 and All-Newcomer Team.

Even with the team success taking a nosedive, Lecomte’s production only skyrocketed. He averaged 16.2 points on 3.7 assists and shooting 38% from 3, good for 4th in the conference. His notable performances included 30 in a win over Oklahoma State and leading the Bears with 16 in an upset bid over #8 Kansas.

Lecomte would be named All-Big 12 second team as a senior and was an immediate impact on an offensive explosion. His defense was not elite, but his ability to shoot so well across the floor made him so exciting to watch.

18. Perry Jones III PF (2010-2012)

Prior to Drew’s success with transfers, it was blue-chip recruits and his way of getting some of the top talent in the high school ranks. One of the biggest commits in Baylor’s history was Perry Jones III. Jones was the 8th ranked player in the 2010 class out of Duncanville HS in Duncanville, Texas.

The 6’11 offensive playmaker would immediately become a household name as a freshman as he averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds on shooting 55% from the field. Jones had big-time performances against quality opponents, most notably 27 points and seven rebounds, on 9/16 shooting on the road against Texas A&M. He also added 25 points on 10/13 shooting in a home win against Oklahoma.

His performance was good enough to be Big 12 Freshman of the Year and could have easily declared for the NBA Draft. However, Jones made a risky decision and chose to play another season at Baylor, hoping his draft stock would rise. There was no drop-off from a production standpoint and Jones was putting up All-Big 12 like numbers, averaging 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Jones would land on the All-Big 12 3rd Team and be on the All-Big 12 Tournament as well. Jones would get drafted in the first round to Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, his NBA tenure did not last long and has been working overseas.

He will go down as one of the best at Baylor, because of the dominating freshman season and the aurora that was around him as being one of the first Top 10 players to commit to Baylor.