Basketball assistants prove key in women’s and men’s postseason wins

When we wrote last May about Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore accepting a position as assistant coach for the Baylor women’s basketball team, we never dreamed quite how important that move would be. With head coach Kim Mulkey missing the Lady Bears’ NCAA Tournament first-round match-up Sunday night due to complications from kidney stone surgery, it was Barmore (pictured here with Mulkey) who guided Baylor past a pesky UTSA team, 87-82, and on to the second round for the sixth year in a row.

With several Lady Bears in foul trouble early and the Roadrunners firing on all cylinders, UTSA was able to push Baylor to overtime before free throws sealed the deal for Baylor. The Waco Tribune-Herald today reports that the team is optimistic that Mulkey will be able to return for the Lady Bears’ second round meeting with South Dakota State, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT (television TBA).

The Baylor men, meanwhile, advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT with a convincing 84-66 win at Virginia Tech Saturday. In preparing for the game, the Bears took advantage of assistant coach Matt Driscoll’s prior experience in the ACC. As an assistant at Clemson, Driscoll knew what a tough place Virginia Tech could be to play; as one of the top 10 assistant coaches in the nation (according to FoxSports.com), Driscoll was well qualified to help prep the team for the atmosphere. And the Bears did what they needed to do, jumping out to a 22-5 lead early and keeping the Hokie crowd out of the game until it was too late. The Baylor men now head to Auburn to face the Tigers Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN, with the winner moving on to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!