Baylor Bear Insider
In less than a week, Scott Drew went from potentially one of the biggest rebuilding jobs of his career to holding arguably the most-stacked deck in the country.
Five days after MaCio Teague announced he was returning for his senior season at Baylor, junior All-American guard Jared Butler followed suit and took his name out of the NBA Draft by Monday's deadline for college players to declare whether or not they were returning to school.
"Throughout the whole process, it seemed like the consensus decision was whether to go right now and maybe be an early second-round pick," said Butler, a first-team All-Big 12 pick who averaged 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists, "or come back a year from now and have a chance to be a for-sure first-round pick or lottery pick. And then, obviously, the chance to play for a national championship. There was a lot that went into it, but I think I made the best decision for me as a person and for my career."
Butler adds another huge piece to a Baylor basketball team that now returns four starters from a talented squad that finished 26-4 overall, second in the Big 12 at 15-3 and No. 5 in the final polls after spending five consecutive weeks at No. 1. Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman has the Bears No. 1 in his preseason poll, while they're No. 2 behind Villanova in CBS Sports' latest rankings.
"(Getting Butler and Teague back) is huge, especially in a year where you're not having a normal summer," Drew said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that cut the 2019-20 season short. "As many returning players and experienced players as a team can have, the better, especially for the beginning of the season.
"I think for our team, it just speaks to the closeness, how much they love one another and want to play for each other. Like everybody, you feel like there's some unfinished business. But, it's special for this group to have a chance to actually come back and finish what they started."
Butler said as much in the video he released on Twitter, saying that last year was "the most incredible experience of my basketball career."
"Going to battle night-in and night-out with my brothers, climbing all the way to No. 1 in the country, it was truly unforgettable," he said. "But, then our season was cut short. We didn't get the chance to finish what we started. . . . Through it all, one thing remained in my mind: Unfinished business. Baylor, I'm coming back, let's go win a national championship!"
Forward Mark Vital, who announced in April his intentions of returning for his senior season, said you can't let the hype use you. "You have to use the hype."
"We just need to do what we do and go out there and win games," said Vital, a third-team All-Big 12 pick and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist who averaged 6.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
"That's crazy, man. When I heard MaCio was coming back, I was excited. And then when Jared said he was coming back, I was pumped. We all get to play with each other one more time."
As Butler put it, "We're getting the band back together."
"I was super excited when I heard he was coming back," Butler said of Teague, a second-team All-Big 12 pick who averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while knocking down 60 3-pointers and shooting a team-best 84 percent from the free throw line. "We didn't talk beforehand . . . I was just excited for him in general because I know it's a tough decision. But now that I'm coming back, it's icing on the cake that he's coming back."
Teague, who had sat out the 2018-19 season after transferring from UNC-Asheville, said the Bears "had a chance to do something pretty special" last season, "so it was tough just going without a chance to really finish."
Obviously excited about Butler's decision to return to a backcourt that also includes rising junior Davion Mitchell, Teague said, "We were a talented team last year. And we need all the pieces we can get."
Drew said getting Butler, Teague and Vital all back on the squad will give the Bears a chance to do something they weren't able to accomplish last season – win the program's first Big 12 championship.
"All the experience, not just from last year, helps," Drew said. "These are older guys. We have a lot of returning guys who have been in college for several years. Every year has its own challenges, and this year will have its own unique challenges as well. But definitely, all the experience and all the pressures that these guys went through last year should hopefully prepare them for this year."
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August 04, 2020 at 09:30AM
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