Scott Drew opens up on first conversations with new Baylor AD Doug McNamee

Baylor recent tapped alumnus Doug McNamee to its athletic director post following the sudden resignation of Mack Rhoades. He takes over a program with several established coaches already in place, like Scott Drew with the basketball program.

It didn’t take long for McNamee to make friends with Drew, either. One of their first conversations made the expectations clear.

“He said, ‘I’d like to be undefeated,'” Drew said of the early talks. “And I said, ‘I’ll work on that.’ So so far they’re really good.”

In other words, Drew is ready for the pressure of being expected to win at a very high level. He lives for it.

And after 23 years at Baylor, Drew has been there almost as long as Doug McNamee has been involved with the program. McNamee graduated from Baylor in 2003, and Drew coached his first season that fall.

“I think at the press conference I think that says it all, seeing all the people that, from the Baylor family to people in Waco, just the support and excitement to have one of their own from Waco, a Baylor-through-and-through guy, and most people already know Doug,” Drew said. “If they don’t know him, he’ll find them.”

Doug McNamee joins his alma mater

Doug McNamee will take over as AD after serving at the President of Field and Stream, an outdoor lifestyle brand. He also graduated from Baylor in 2003, where he was a manager for the basketball team. He previously worked for the university from 2012-18 in various roles.

McNamee began his administrative career with Baylor as an assistant AD for premium tickets through the Bear Foundation in 2012. He was later promoted to senior associate AD before eventually taking over leadership of the Bear Foundation.

In 2017, McNamee was promoted to Senior Associate AD for External Relations. He served on the search committee that helped hire football coach Matt Rhule that same year.

Doug McNamee will take over for Mack Rhoades, who took a leave of absence last month for “personal reasons” before the school opened up an investigation against him. Rhoades later resigned from his position just eight days later.