NCAA Basketball: Predicting best player from top 2021 recruiting classes
By Ian Mumm
14. Baylor Bears
Recruiting Class: Kendall Brown, Langston Love, and Jeremy Sochan
Most of the country felt it was a two-horse race last season between the Bears and Gonzaga. While there was disagreement amongst that crowd over who the better team was, Baylor proved themselves to undeniably be that team. Losing only two games in 2020, to conference foes Kansas and Oklahoma State, Scott Drew’s club ran the NCAA Tournament table relatively easily on their way to the school’s first national title.
The team’s physicality and chemistry on the court were a large reason for their success throughout the entire year. The collective backcourt of Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, and Davion Mitchell garnered a large responsibility for the team’s offensive production, and all have departed the roster this offseason. In fact, four-fifths of the team’s starting lineup is not coming back and it leaves big shoes for the next group to fill. Coach Drew did a good job of building depth on the roster even before this offseason and has added to it via the transfer portal with guard James Akinjo (Arizona).
The Bears are also set to receive a talented group of incoming freshmen: Kendall Brown, Langston Love, and Jeremy Sochan. Despite the team’s depth and offseason additions, each recruit stands a good chance of seeing double-digit minutes next season. Love faces the steepest climb with Akinjo, Flagler, and LJ Cryer to compete with, while Sochan also has some work to do behind the experienced trio of Matthew Mayer, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, and Flo Thamba.
The easiest path and most likely to garner a starting role as a freshman is 5-star wing Brown. The 6’8” veteran from Sunrise Christian is explosive around the rim and can get downhill with the best of them. He is productive in all facets of the game, but is most notably an efficient scoring threat. This area of his game brings needed reliability to a Baylor team forced to reshuffle the deck and may take a little bit of time to get back to full steam.
Prediction: Kendall Brown