What Drew has done for the Baylor Bears program is something to be impressed with. Possibly blown away by.
From Humble Beginnings to Baylor’s Sidelines
Drew is set to turn 55 years old just before the start of the new season. Despite many opportunities to move on from Waco, he has been the head coach of the program since 2003. The Kansas City native started his career as a student manager at Butler before heading to Valparaiso as an assistant for his father, Homer. He eventually took over as the head coach for one season.
After going 20-11 and winning the Mid-Continent Conference, he was hired at Baylor. It took time with the Bears. He missed the tournament in each of his first four seasons, and during that stretch, Baylor went just 36-69. Instead of moving on from Drew, the program stayed the course, and that loyalty paid off. The same an be said about Drew, who had an opportunity to leave the program.
Building a National Champion in Waco
The Bears finally reached the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08, and since then have missed the field just twice. The last time Baylor was left out of March Madness was the 2017-18 season, when they finished 19-15 overall and 8-10 in Big 12 play.
In 2021, Drew guided Baylor to the ultimate prize, a 28-2 season capped off with the program’s first NCAA Tournament championship. His Bears have reached the Round of 32 in each of the last four seasons, though they have been eliminated in the second round each time.
Drew’s resume includes 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament, two Big 12 regular season titles, a Mid-Con championship, an NCAA Tournament title, and an NIT championship. He has also been named Big 12 Coach of the Year three times, further cementing his place among the elite coaches in the game.
2025-26 Baylor Bears Season Outlook
The Bears are coming off a 20-15 campaign in which they went 10-10 in a rugged Big 12 conference. When the 2025-26 season tips off, Baylor will open at home on November 3 against UT Rio Grande Valley. Their non-conference schedule includes tests against Washington, Creighton, St. John’s, and Memphis before they begin Big 12 play on January 3.
Known as fiery yet composed, Drew has built Baylor into a program defined by toughness, discipline, and resilience. In a Big 12 that demands both grit and intelligence, his ability to keep the Bears competitive year after year remains one of the hallmarks of his coaching career.