While Homecoming tends to center around football, before we know it, the 2010-11 Baylor basketball season will be underway as well!
Coming off a Final Four finish last year, head coach Kim Mulkey’s Lady Bears were voted the favorites to win the Big 12 Conference this season by the league’s coaches and are likely to be among the top five in the country when preseason polls are released. Baylor became the first team in Big 12 men’s or women’s basketball history to sweep all three preseason individual awards when Brittney Griner (pictured) was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Brooklyn Pope captured Preseason Newcomer of the Year and Odyssey Sims was selected Preseason Freshman of the Year. Griner is also one of 30 female student-athletes named to the watch list for the Wooden Award, the sport’s most prestigious honor.
Head coach Scott Drew’s Baylor men are also coming off one of the best seasons in program history, looking to follow up last year’s Elite Eight finish with another deep tournament run. The Bears were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 by league coaches after ending last season among the top 25 in both polls for the first time ever. Freshman forward Perry Jones is receiving a lot of attention around the country, ranking eighth on Sports Illustrated‘s list of the “Top 16 Impact Freshmen” and 20th among Rivals.com’s Preseason Top 50 Players.
The Bears and Lady Bears open the season by hosting a doubleheader Nov. 12; the women face Florida International at 6:30, followed by the men vs. Grambling State at 8:30. Stay up to date on each team this year with the blogs at BaylorBears.com (Full Court Press for the men, Lady Bear Hoop Happenings for the women) and on Twitter (@BaylorFCP and @LadyBearJB).
Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!
