Big 12 Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches in 2023 after realignment
By Joey Loose
2. Scott Drew – Baylor
A former student manager at Butler, Drew joined father Homer’s coaching staff at Valparaiso and briefly succeeded him way back in 2002. His only previous full-time coaching experience came at Valparaiso, and he did win a Mid-Continent Conference title in his lone season as their head coach. He left in 2003 for Baylor, inheriting one of college basketball’s biggest cleanups; a rebuild that he nailed in the end.
There was nothing special about Baylor basketball even years before Drew’s arrival, and now it’s one of the nation’s best programs. The early years were tough as he rebuilt this program, but a few early Elite Eight’s showed there was potential. Drew broke through in 2021 and won his first national championship with the Bears, capping off an incredible season. Baylor has played in 11 NCAA Tournaments since Drew’s hiring, more than tripling the program’s total amount.
It’s hard to understand how important Drew is without realizing how dire things were for the Bears when he was hired. He could’ve stayed at Valparaiso, but he took on the challenge and built this program from the ground up. Baylor became national champions because of Drew’s dream and vision and he’s rightfully among the elite in basketball coaching today.