Men's Hoops Preview: Baylor vs. Raiders Select
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BAYLOR (0-0) vs. RAIDERS SELECT (0-0)
Nov. 4, 2003 - Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas) - 7:00 p.m. CST
RADIO: none
TELEVISION: none
THE GAME
Baylor tips off the 2003-2004 season with an exhibition game Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Bears host Raiders Select from Australia at 7 p.m. CST at the Ferrell Center. The Scott Drew era begins at Baylor in 2003-2004, as the new head coach attempts to rebuild the Bear basketball program in his first season.
BAYLOR IN EXHIBITION GAMES
Baylor is 6-2 over the last four seasons in exhibition games, including single losses in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. The Bears won both exhibition contests last season.
HEAD COACH Scott Drew
Scott Drew is in his first season as head coach at Baylor. He came to Waco after 10 seasons coaching at Valparaiso, the final as head coach. Drew led the Crusaders to a 20-11 record and into the NIT in 2002-2003. Valpo earned the Mid-Continent Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league record last season. The previous nine seasons, Drew served as an assistant at Valpo under his father Homer Drew. During Drew's decade at Valparaiso, the Crusaders earned six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-1998 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996-2000. An outstanding recruiter, Drew was responsible for three national Top-20 recruiting classes the last five years. Drew was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision and helped produce what Hoop Scoop magazine named the nation's sixth best recruiting class in 2001, the 13th best in 1999 and the 19th best in 2003 (including four Top-100 national recruits).
NEW STAFF GUIDING BEARS
Head coach Scott Drew is joined on the Baylor coaching staff by new assistants Matthew Driscoll, Mark Morefield and Jerome Tang. Driscoll and Morefield followed Drew from his staff at Valparaiso, and Tang joined Baylor after 10 years as a prep coach at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas.
STEADY SAYMAN
Matt Sayman returns as the Bears' most veteran player and a co-captain. The senior provides leadership and consistent play as Baylor's most experienced player (89 games played). He played his way into the starting lineup over the final nine games of 2002-2003 and averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists down the stretch. Sayman, a career 82 percent free throw shooter, was 14-for-16 from the line in the game's final three minutes last season.
GUINN STEPS UP PLAY LATE IN YEAR
Senior center R.T. Guinn has made a habit of stepping up his play down the stretch, significantly improving his production over the final half of each of the past two seasons. In 2001-2002, Guinn's 9.3 scoring average in Big 12 games was more than double that of his non-conference average (4.3), and he averaged 15.3 points, 7 rebounds and shot a torrid 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the 3-point arc over the final four games of the season. As a junior last season, Guinn put together eight double-digit scoring performances in his last nine games, recording three double-doubles. He averaged 13.8 points and 7 rebounds over that span, shooting 45 percent from 3-point land.
NEW BRUINS
The 2003-2004 Baylor roster includes five new players: three high school players (Carl Marshall, Robbie McKenzie and Turner Phipps) and two junior college transfers (Ryan Pryor and Harvey Thomas). Marshall and Thomas are scholarship players.
3-POINT PROPENSITY
The Bears averaged 9.1 made 3-pointers (8th nationally) and 26.5 attempts per game last season; both figures topped the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 349 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990).
BEARS' STELLAR SHOOTING FROM LINE
As a team, the Bears shot 72.5 percent from the free throw line in 2002-2003, the best mark in the Big 12 Conference. Matt Sayman finished ninth in the league in free-throw percentage for all games (77.6%) and ranked fourth for conference games (83.0%).
QUICK TRIGGER ON 3-POINTERS
As a team, 743 of the Bears' 1,624 shot attempts (46%) came from behind the arc in 2002-2003. Baylor averaged 9.1 made 3-pointers and 26.5 attempts per game; both of those figures topped the Big 12 Conference. In the last four seasons, Baylor has finished no lower than fourth in 3-point field goals or attempts in the conference rankings. Center R.T. Guinn led the Bears and finished eighth in the league in 3-point field goal shooting at 40.5% (49-of-121). Baylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 349 consecutive games (dating back to Feb. 21, 1990).
RECORD ATTENDANCE FIGURES
For the third straight season, Baylor fans came to the Ferrell Center in record numbers in 2002-2003. The Bears attracted 108,292 fans in 2002-2003, the second-highest attendance total in the 15-year history of the arena (behind the 109,494 drawn in 2001-2002). The 6,768 average attendance was also second to the previous season's 6,843. The Ferrell Center's top 5 season attendance figures follow:
Year Att. Gms Avg. W-L 1. 2001-2002 109,494 16 6,843 12-4 2. 2002-2003 108,292 16 6,768 10-6 3. 2000-2001 91,421 17 5,378 14-3 4. 1992-1993 81,983 14 5,856 11-3 5. 1997-1998 73,290 14 5,235 10-4
FERRELL CENTER'S 16th YEAR
The Bears are enjoying their 16th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. Baylor finished 10-6 at home in 2002-2003 and owns a 137-90 all-time record in the arena, which opened in November 1988. The Ferrell Center is a golden-domed structure that seats 10,284 for basketball games.
BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes news releases, photos, biographical sketches, audio broadcasts, live gamecasts and chats is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 145 universities, including four Big 12 schools.
OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The flagship station is KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco. Selected Baylor games are broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP News/Talk 820, which covers 80 percent of the nation and reaches 38 states during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his ninth season. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 22nd season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.
BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast of all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on-line on Baylor's official website, www.BaylorBears.com, or at www.broadcast.com.
BIG 12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2003-2004 edition has been projected to finish last in the Big 12 Conference in virtually every preseason poll. The only preseason publication that didn't pick the Bears 12th in the conference was Athlon Sports, which was published prior to the transfers of three Baylor returnees.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest, College Sports TV and the College Channel (Waco Time Warner cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox Sports Net Southwest. Each show is archived online at BaylorBears.com and BaylorTV.com.
NEXT UP...
Baylor plays a final exhibition game Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. CST when it hosts the World SuperStars at the Ferrell Center.
