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

13. MaCio Teague SG/SF (2019-2021)

On many other Baylor teams, Teague could arguably be the go-to scorer for the Bears. However, the special part about Baylor’s 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 teams was the ability for Teague to become a massive weapon, when defenses are paying attention to others.

Three different Baylor players tallied 30 points in a game during Teague’s senior year and he was the last one to do it. Teague also tied the record for most three-pointers in a game on Senior Day in a win over Texas Tech, with 10 total, to go with 35 points.

Following that game, Teague continued to be Baylor’s best player post-covid, with 24 points against Kansas State in the Big 12 Quarterfinals, alongside 22 more in the Bears’ first-round NCAA Tournament win over Hartford University.

Teague finished his career, with 19 points on 6-12 shooting in the Bears win over Gonzaga.

After 13.9 points per game his junior year, he improved that number to 15.9, alongside 39.5% from beyond the arc and a team-best, 83.1% from the charity stripe.

Due to Mitchell’s defense and explosiveness, alongside Butler’s ball-handling and spot-up shooting, Teague did not get near as much recognition on the national level. Nor is Teague in much of any NBA draft talk, as he’s projected to be undrafted. Teague is mentioned as a part of the big three but has the lowest ceiling at the next level.

The reasoning behind it is beyond me, whether that be the hitch in his shot, or playing all four years of college being a turn-off for NBA teams.

Teague’s slick scoring near the rim and well-above-average three-point shot make him one of the better players at Baylor. Considering he’s ranked 13th is not a detriment to him, but to how talented Baylor has been over the past two decades.

12. Rico Gathers PF/C (2012-2016)

Gathers is an ironic name for someone that is the all-time rebounding leader at Baylor. Gathers came from Laplace, Louisiana, and was another of Drew’s highly touted recruits he got to come to Waco. Gathers was the 32nd ranked recruit in the class of 2012 and played every single game as a Freshman.

Gathers was known for being an elite-level rebounder as he made an appearance in the Top 10 in every season over his entire four-season career. He holds the record for the most offensive rebounds in a career in the Big 12 with 482 and 3rd in total rebounds with 1,134.

Gathers’ frame of 6’8 280 lbs. made him so difficult to box out. Gathers strength would get easily by other defenders. This was not more apparent than his junior season when Baylor played Huston-Tillotson. In that game, Gathers finished with 25 points on 52% shooting and a career-high 28 rebounds. To put it into perspective, the entire Huston-Tillotson team had 28 rebounds for the entire game.

Gathers was around the program when the Bears were consistently a contender for the conference and in the upper half of the league. Baylor didn’t get below 22 wins while he was there and was a part of three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Although not the most dominant scorer at a career average of 8.6 points and 49% from the field, Gathers dominant glass performance will never be forgotten, by not only Baylor fans, but Big 12 fans in general. Gathers would end up giving up basketball and pursued Football instead. Gathers would get drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft and would stay with the team for a few seasons.