Norfolk St. vs. Baylor
Baylor basketball was on its deathbed. Rocked by a multi-layer scandal involving murder and illicit payments, one player was dead, a former player was in prison for his murder, their coach was forced to resign, and the program was hammered with the stiffest sanctions short of the “death penalty” by the NCAA.
In stepped a man named Scott Drew, the third-most famous member of his own family. His father, Homer Drew, was the longtime coach at Valparaiso, and his younger brother Bryce is a March Madness legend remembered for a buzzer-beater he hit for Valpo to upset 4th-seeded Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
Scott, with only a year of head coaching experience after replacing his father at Valparaiso, took on the impossible task of rebuilding the Baylor program from scratch. That was in 2003.
Fast-forward almost 18 years, to April 2021, and Baylor has come full-circle, defeating previously undefeated Gonzaga in a rout to capture the program’s first national championship. The scandal, scholarship limitations, and stiff sanctions seem so far in the past, especially from atop the ladder where Scott Drew is cutting down the net. He had led Baylor not just to the top of the Big XII — the seat of power typically occupied by blue-blooded Kansas — but to the apex of college basketball.
Baylor’s title reign carried into the 2021-22 season, where the Bears managed to claim a share of the conference title and entered the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed. But an early exit from the tourney, coupled with the roster turnover ahead, made the inevitable more apparent: Drew was now tasked with rebuilding Baylor after a natty.
Along with the rebuilding of the roster comes construction of a new arena to replace the current Ferrell Center — shiny new Foster Pavilion, slated to open in 2024. The new arena will be located on the banks of the Brazos River just west of I-35 and across the river from McLane Stadium, home of Baylor football.
I arrived at the Ferrell Center on the Friday evening before Baylor football’s Saturday showdown with Kansas State. The traffic turning left into the main parking lot was backed up for several hundred yards, so I went past the turn lane and made a U-turn a couple of stoplights down the way, saving at least 10-15 minutes.
Despite the traffic, it’s nice that they let non-season ticket holders park in the lots immediately adjacent to the arena for free, albeit in the outer reaches of the lots. I parked in the far northern section of the east lot, closest to Baylor Ballpark. It was just a short walk from there to the Ferrell Center.
The arena is constructed with a low-profile brick exterior and a gold arched roof that’s neither as shiny as Notre Dame‘s Golden Dome nor as steeply parabolic as Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock. The entry area included multiple sets of 7 doors, each manned by ticket scanners, making for a quick and efficient entry.
The interior of the arena was … very green. As someone who grew up going to basketball games at the University of South Florida‘s Sun Dome, which was adorned with mustard yellow seats throughout, green was the better choice of Baylor’s two colors. But it’s still a lot of green to take in at once.
Despite solid upkeep, the setup of the arena does make it seem outdated, with split levels, oddly shaped sections, wide mid-level portal boxes to the concourse, and no noticeable club amenities or modern premium seating. One thing I hope transfers to the new arena, though, is the perfectly chilled and perfectly mixed fountain Dr Pepper from the concession stands. It’s exactly what you’d expect in Dr Pepper’s hometown.
As I got to my $9 lower-level seat, I also noticed lots of visual markers honoring the legacy of Baylor’s women’s basketball program. The rafters were teeming with banners commemorating conference titles, Final Fours, and three national titles won by former coach Kim Mulkey, plus pictures and graphics highlighting some of Baylor’s top female players, including former All-American Brittney Griner.
The student section, although not especially huge, was pretty active for an early-season non-conference game. They made a lot of noise on opponent free throws facing their end and participated en masse with the usual in-game cheers and chants, including the signature “Sic ’em” hand signal after made free throws by Baylor.
Likewise, the pep band was very … peppy, appearing to already be in mid-season form.
Baylor had the usual cavalry of cheerleaders and pom-pom dancers, but they seemed slightly less enthused for this run-of-the-mill matchup. Sometimes even the best have to just grind it out.
I also learned that Baylor has both male and female bear mascots — Bruiser and Marigold. I inquired as to whether they were married, but according to official lore, they are merely described as “partners.” Given Baylor’s conservative and faith-based stance on sexual relationships, it’s ironic that the costumed mascots may have the most ambiguous relationship on campus.
On the floor, Baylor looked crisp offensively but showed some issues with backside rotation on the defensive end. The good news is that the Bears showed effort, so the defensive miscues should be fixable. While Baylor displayed nice ball movement to free up open shots and a willingness to get out in transition, it seemed to me that the roster doesn’t quite have the same level of elite talent and shot-creating ability as the past couple of seasons. However, it was still enough to run away with this game in the second half and win by double-digits.
Despite being outmatched, Norfolk State — who got walloped by Baylor in the opening round of last year’s tourney — seemed to put those memories behind them as they battled until the end.
I was really impressed with the Spartans’ toughness and fight, especially from talented and hard-nosed senior guard Joe Bryant Jr., who led his team with 24 points and 6 boards. He was also the clear vocal leader and floor general for a team that seemed to have the athleticism to again compete for a conference title and tourney berth.
After every home game, Baylor players walk around the perimeter of the court to high-five fans. It’s a nice touch that makes fans (especially kids) feel included. In true Baptist tradition, the team also conducts a postgame on-court prayer.
When Norfolk State’s Joe Bryant Jr. — the last Spartan remaining on the floor — saw what they were doing, he hustled halfway down the tunnel towards the locker room and brought his teammates back out on to the court to join in with the Baylor players & staff. It was a really nice moment and further testament to Bryant’s leadership.
Overall, it was a worthwhile trip to see the longstanding home of Baylor basketball as they try to rebuild the roster and construct a new arena. I’m excited to eventually see The House That Scott Drew Built, sipping a refreshing Dr Pepper while reflecting on how Drew elevated the program from rock bottom to national champs and then to a state-of-the-art new home along the Brazos River.
When that time comes, maybe I’ll arrive by boat.
CFB Travel Guy 