JUST PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN

(This is the 13th part in a series profiling the 2020 and 2021 inductees for the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame and Wall of Honor. The features will be posted at baylorbears.com in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 29 induction ceremony. Also, listen for Hall of Fame interviews with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris on ESPN Central Texas each Thursday afternoon from 2-3 p.m.)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            When Baylor basketball played a conference-only schedule because of NCAA sanctions in 2005-06, Henry Dugat didn't have a blueprint or manual to help him and the Bears get through it.
            "I think that's one of the things that stands out the most was that half season that we had, no one had any outlook or knew how we would get through it," said Dugat, part of "The Foundation" of the men's basketball program that will be inducted into the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame Friday night.
            "We just worked through it and continuously tried to better ourselves and prepare ourselves for what was to come. That was a big thing that I can carry through life, as far as you never know what's going to happen. You just have to work hard and prepare as best as you can."
            A consensus top-100 national recruit out of Dayton, Texas, Dugat was part of Baylor coach Scott Drew's second signing class, joining fellow guard Curtis Jerrells and 6-9 forward Kevin Rogers. "The Foundation" also includes Mamadou Diene and Aaron Bruce, who came in the year before as Drew's first signees.
            Dugat was a prolific scorer in the prep ranks, averaging 28.9 points per game as a junior and 25.5 as a senior, leading Dayton to a 21-7 record and its first playoff appearance in several years.
            Also known for his highlight-reel dunks and suffocating defense, Dugat remembers his first recruiting contact with Baylor being with a young assistant coach named Jerome Tang. Now in his 19^th season at Baylor, Tang led a powerhouse TAPPS program in the Houston area at Heritage Christian Academy.
            "Really, from the beginning, our family (gravitated) to Coach Tang, because we just had a great rapport with him," Dugat said. "We trusted him, and he's always been a good guy. Then, when I was able to meet with Coach Drew and the rest of the coaching staff, it all just felt good."
            During that awkward 2005-06 season, Dugat played a sixth-man role, coming off the bench in 15 of the 17 games and averaging 7.2 points while knocking down 36.5% from 3-point range.
            Sitting out while other teams got their seasons started "was so tough," Dugat said. "Coming in, we were anxious to get on the court and compete against other teams. Having to sit that time out and having to practice against each other so much, it made us even more anxious to get out there on the court."
            Predominantly a starter for each of his last three seasons, Dugat's best year came as a junior, when he averaged 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and helped the Bears make their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years.
            "That, to me, was one of the greatest accomplishments of my career," he said of getting Baylor back into the NCAA Tournament, "just to be able to enjoy that feeling. Coming in with the same class as Kevin and Curtis, and then also Aaron Bruce and Mamadou, we all wanted to have the chance to play in the tournament. And not only play, but show that we can compete against the top teams in the country. Having that experience was a step in the right direction."
            Even as Baylor won the 2021 national championship, beating a top-ranked Gonzaga team, 86-70, Drew credited those early players as being the foundational pieces that got the Bears on the right path.
            "I was so proud for those guys," Dugat said. "It just felt like they had it figured out and they had the right energy to be consistent throughout a whole season. I understand what that takes. Especially with COVID, and all the things that tried to hold those guys back, they did an unbelievable job of persevering and fighting through certain things and keeping their eyes on running through the finish line."
            Dugat played with arguably the program's best collection of guards at one time – Jerrells, Bruce and Tweety Carter on that 2008 NCAA tournament team, and then LaceDarius Dunn joining them on the NIT runner-up team the next season. But, he said last year's quartet of Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague and Adam Flagler "were unbelievable to watch."
            "It was really fun to see those guys and watch how they controlled a game," he said. "They were leaders for the team, and they came out on top. That's the best way to end it."
            Just like his freshman season, Dugat said the Bears "didn't know what was ahead of us" in a 2009 NIT run that ended with a 69-63 loss in the final to Penn State at historic Madison Square Garden.
            "That was a great run for us," he said. "Obviously, we wanted to be back in the NCAA, and it didn't go how we wanted to, but it was the same thing. We didn't know what was ahead of us, but we continued to put our heads down and work and just continue the process."
            Twelve years later, Dugat still ranks in the top 20 on the program's all-time lists with 1,229 career points (17^th), 152 steals (7^th) and 158 made 3-pointers (9^th).
            Dugat said Drew's early recruits "definitely wanted to leave our mark. And I think we did that as a group. But, to see where it has grown to today, is unbelievable."
            Like Jerrells and Rogers, Dugat has had a successful pro career with stops in Mexico, Venezuela, Sweden, Germany, Hungary and the last two seasons with Dnipro in the Ukrainian Superleague.
            "I'm still playing," he said. "Last season, I was in Ukraine, and now I'm waiting to sign with another team. It's pretty wide open at this moment, but hopefully within the next couple of weeks we can narrow something down."
This year's Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Brazos Room at the Waco Convention Center and will honor the 2020 and 2021 classes.
Banquet tickets cost $50 per person, with table sponsorships also available for $600 (green) and $800 (gold), and can be purchased by contacting the "B" Association at 254-710-3045 or by email at Tammy_Hardin@baylor.edu.

JUST PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN

Players Mentioned

Jared Butler

Adam Flagler

Davion Mitchell

MaCio Teague

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