Keyonte George came into the season known as an elite scorer. In Baylor Basketball’s blowout win over Mississippi Valley State, it was his passing that was on notice.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, Baylor Basketball was a consensus top-5 team and national title contender. The biggest reason is the elite depth in the backcourt, led by returning guards, Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer. They also have a five-star freshman guard in Keyonte George, who had an impressive preseason while others were injured and is an expected key contributor.
George started in the Bears‘ opening game of the season against Mississippi Valley State of the SWAC. With a spread of around 40 points, the game was never expected to be close. And the Big 12 program made it non-competitive early on, winning the matchup, 117-53. Flagler led all players with 21 points and eight assists, while Cryer had 16. Jalen Bridges, a transfer from West Virginia, had a strong first half with 13 points.
As far as George goes, he didn’t have the best shooting night. The freshman started out shooting just 1/8 from the field and finished with 13 points on 4/13 shooting after heating up in the second half. It’s certainly not a big deal since it’s his first college game and his backcourt mates more than made up for it. But what was most notable with George was his passing display. He had seven assists and led all players until Flager dished out a few at the end, as well as six rebounds.
TEAMWORK @keyonte1george 🤝 @adamflagler #SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/FKfyao7aaI
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) November 7, 2022
There was a small question as to whether or not Baylor had enough capable passers outside of Flagler to maximize the offensive potential. Plus, there’s only one ball to go around. It’s clear that these guards are willing to share and George was able to pick his spots and be effective when he had the ball in his hands.
Even after the slow shooting spot, the freshman guard showed an all-around ability that makes him a legit 1st round NBA Draft prospect. Ultimately, we’ll see how he looks against improved competition but for his first college test, George passed with flying colors.