Scott Drew reflects on Baylor’s path from NCAA scandal to top program under his leadership

It’s not often that college coaches get a true moment to reflect on their accomplishments and achievements. They’re always pushing forward to the next season, the next game, the next practice. But for Baylor coach Scott Drew such a moment recently came up on a podcast appearance.

Drew was put to the question on the Gary Parrish Show. Can he enjoy some of his success, looking all the way back at the scandal-filled program he inherited to now?

“First, it’s a we because as you know in sports it’s a we to win,” Drew said. “So from the administration, fans, community, the school and then obviously the players all buying in and putting the team first.

“What you do, though, in sports, as you know, it’s like shaving. My dad always said you miss a day, you look like a bum. So with us it’s onto the next and if you’re not recruiting, if you’re not helping your team develop and get ready for the next season… that’s the great thing is in sports you’re only as good as your last game. So you’re focused and prepared for that.”

Still, there are times when you can take a slight minute to reflect. Drew began to wax on his time at Baylor and all the personal memories he’s built in his 22 years with the Bears.

During that span, he has won nearly 500 games, checking in with an overall record of 466-259 and a mark of 199-183 in conference play. There have been 13 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and even a national championship.

But it’s the memories created with his Baylor players that stick the most. Drew recalled:

“With that, one thing that is great being at a place for an extended amount of time — and coach (Tom) Izzo‘s the longest-tenured at a Power Four school at 30 years, and then coach (Bill) Self and myself have been blessed to be at Baylor and Kansas for 22 years — but you get a lot of the past players come back,” Drew said. “And when they come back, now all the sudden they’ve got two, three children. In fact, we’re getting to the stage where we’re going to start recruiting some of these guys. So you know you’re getting older then.”

When players have returned to Baylor, they’ve done so with a host of memories intact. Special moments that meant the world for one reason or another.

Sometimes it might have been a big win here, a comeback there. Other times it’s simple moments spent with teammates and coaches.

“I tell you, that’s really, and I think all parents can relate during the holidays and the kids come home or the grandkids come home, it’s such a special feeling,” Drew said of players coming back to Baylor. “For us when our past players come back in the summertime, will come back and scrimmage our past players, we call it Vet Week when they come in the preseason to watch football games, stop in the office. That’s just really exciting and then their kids look on the wall, see a picture of dad and maybe see his graduation picture and different things like that, it really brings it full circle and allows you to know just the excitement of being a coach.

“I know we all talk about it’s a transactional world, but really coaches want to have an impact and want to help young people, and anything you find out when they’re 20 or 30 years later, ‘Hey, coach, you really helped me here or there.’ That really makes it all worthwhile.”

For a moment or two on the Gary Parrish Show, Scott Drew was able to slip back into reflective mode on what his time at Baylor has meant. But as he noted, it would only be for a moment. The 2025-26 season is fast approaching and there’s work to be done.