Baylor coach Scott Drew is finding that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.
Drew, the former Valparaiso University coach and a Butler graduate, led the Bears to an 8-21 record in his first season.
That was not too bad, considering it came in the aftermath of one of the worst scandals in college basketball history. Drew took over after the murder of a Baylor player eventually led to the resignation of former coach Dave Bliss and an NCAA investigation.
"I think considering the situation he went into, eight wins was marvelous," said Purdue coach Gene Keady, whose team hosts Baylor tonight.
But Drew, 34, knew trouble lay ahead. Several top players transferred, including John Lucas, who led Oklahoma State to last season's Final Four. Most of the remaining scholarship players have since used up their eligibility.
This season, Baylor has just one returning scholarship player and nine newcomers, including transfers Tim Bush, from LSU; and Patrick Fields, whose college career started at Mississippi.
"Let's talk about recruiting," Drew said when asked about the prospects of this season's team.
The Bears are 5-3 and have won three straight games, but tougher times are ahead.
They will be playing away from home for just the second time tonight and still face a rugged Big 12 schedule. Baylor's victories have come against lightly regarded schools such as Southern, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. The Bears lost 73-58 at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
"It makes it pretty tough when you have only six scholarship players and one guy is usually hurt," Drew said. "It's pretty hard to play with that."
The good news for Drew -- who developed a reputation for being a good recruiter while serving as an assistant for several years at Valparaiso -- is that help appears to be on the way.
The Bears signed a five-man class in November that has been ranked as high as 10th in the nation by some recruiting services.
"I think every recruiter talks about the chance to play right away," Drew said. "Players see we really mean it."
The Bears will be facing a team with issues of its own tonight.
Purdue forward Matt Kiefer is returning after missing two games with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but it is unclear how much he will play. The Boilermakers will have little depth up front if Kiefer can't play major minutes.
"We just need to play some games," said Keady, whose team is coming off a 12-day break. "I don't care who it is against. We just need to play to get ready for Wisconsin (in the Big Ten opener)."
Purdue hoped to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico last week, but school officials scrapped that plan last summer due to pending litigation over exempt events.
Keady said the layoff turned out to be a positive in many ways.
"The players were happy to get home for four or five days for Christmas and we needed the extra practice time," he said.
Keady said he is closer to Homer Drew, who came out of retirement to succeed his son at Valparaiso, than Scott.
"They have styles in what they teach and how they play, in what they do in offensive schemes," Keady said of the two Drews. "I'm sure if Pat Knight (the son of former Indiana and current Texas Tech coach Bob Knight) ever got a head coaching job, he wouldn't do things much different than his father."
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The Bears (5-3)
Name P Ht Pts Reb
K. Shipman G 6-0 7.8 1.5
A. Bruce G 6-3 17.3 2.8
P. Fields F 6-5 11.0 4.3
T. Bush F 6-6 15.0 4.3
T. Swanson C 6-10 13.5 7.0
The Boilermakers (3-5)
Name P Ht Pts Reb
B. McKnight G 6-2 13.8 3.0
A. Ford G 6-2 0.8 0.5
D. Teague G 6-5 12.0 5.7
C. Landry F 6-7 15.5 7.9
G. Ware F 6-8 3.0 2.3
? Baylor: Aaron Bruce is a freshman from Australia and is 14-for-22 (64 percent) from 3-point range in the past five games. Tommy Swanson is lone returning scholarship player and had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Bears' 76-65 loss to Purdue last season. Coach Scott Drew is 0-2 against Purdue.
? Purdue: The Boilers, who are coming off consecutive one-point victories over Colorado State (69-68) and Evansville (62-61), were 1-7 in games decided by two points or fewer last season. They will be without reserve Matt Carroll, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks after surgery to remove an abscess from his right foot. Boilers' 12-day layoff after Dec. 18 Evansville game is the longest since the 1974-75 season.
Drew, the former Valparaiso University coach and a Butler graduate, led the Bears to an 8-21 record in his first season.
That was not too bad, considering it came in the aftermath of one of the worst scandals in college basketball history. Drew took over after the murder of a Baylor player eventually led to the resignation of former coach Dave Bliss and an NCAA investigation.
"I think considering the situation he went into, eight wins was marvelous," said Purdue coach Gene Keady, whose team hosts Baylor tonight.
But Drew, 34, knew trouble lay ahead. Several top players transferred, including John Lucas, who led Oklahoma State to last season's Final Four. Most of the remaining scholarship players have since used up their eligibility.
This season, Baylor has just one returning scholarship player and nine newcomers, including transfers Tim Bush, from LSU; and Patrick Fields, whose college career started at Mississippi.
"Let's talk about recruiting," Drew said when asked about the prospects of this season's team.
The Bears are 5-3 and have won three straight games, but tougher times are ahead.
They will be playing away from home for just the second time tonight and still face a rugged Big 12 schedule. Baylor's victories have come against lightly regarded schools such as Southern, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. The Bears lost 73-58 at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
"It makes it pretty tough when you have only six scholarship players and one guy is usually hurt," Drew said. "It's pretty hard to play with that."
The good news for Drew -- who developed a reputation for being a good recruiter while serving as an assistant for several years at Valparaiso -- is that help appears to be on the way.
The Bears signed a five-man class in November that has been ranked as high as 10th in the nation by some recruiting services.
"I think every recruiter talks about the chance to play right away," Drew said. "Players see we really mean it."
The Bears will be facing a team with issues of its own tonight.
Purdue forward Matt Kiefer is returning after missing two games with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but it is unclear how much he will play. The Boilermakers will have little depth up front if Kiefer can't play major minutes.
"We just need to play some games," said Keady, whose team is coming off a 12-day break. "I don't care who it is against. We just need to play to get ready for Wisconsin (in the Big Ten opener)."
Purdue hoped to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico last week, but school officials scrapped that plan last summer due to pending litigation over exempt events.
Keady said the layoff turned out to be a positive in many ways.
"The players were happy to get home for four or five days for Christmas and we needed the extra practice time," he said.
Keady said he is closer to Homer Drew, who came out of retirement to succeed his son at Valparaiso, than Scott.
"They have styles in what they teach and how they play, in what they do in offensive schemes," Keady said of the two Drews. "I'm sure if Pat Knight (the son of former Indiana and current Texas Tech coach Bob Knight) ever got a head coaching job, he wouldn't do things much different than his father."
--------------------------
The Bears (5-3)
Name P Ht Pts Reb
K. Shipman G 6-0 7.8 1.5
A. Bruce G 6-3 17.3 2.8
P. Fields F 6-5 11.0 4.3
T. Bush F 6-6 15.0 4.3
T. Swanson C 6-10 13.5 7.0
The Boilermakers (3-5)
Name P Ht Pts Reb
B. McKnight G 6-2 13.8 3.0
A. Ford G 6-2 0.8 0.5
D. Teague G 6-5 12.0 5.7
C. Landry F 6-7 15.5 7.9
G. Ware F 6-8 3.0 2.3
? Baylor: Aaron Bruce is a freshman from Australia and is 14-for-22 (64 percent) from 3-point range in the past five games. Tommy Swanson is lone returning scholarship player and had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Bears' 76-65 loss to Purdue last season. Coach Scott Drew is 0-2 against Purdue.
? Purdue: The Boilers, who are coming off consecutive one-point victories over Colorado State (69-68) and Evansville (62-61), were 1-7 in games decided by two points or fewer last season. They will be without reserve Matt Carroll, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks after surgery to remove an abscess from his right foot. Boilers' 12-day layoff after Dec. 18 Evansville game is the longest since the 1974-75 season.
