Baylor Proud

The spring semester is rapidly drawing to a close, which means it’s postseason time for Baylor’s spring sports.

After winning the Big 12 Conference regular season title (the program’s 11th in 14 years) and advancing to the finals of the Big 12 tournament, Baylor men’s tennis won its first- and second-round NCAA tournament matches over the weekend to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 12th straight season. The 13th-ranked Bears now face No. 4 USC Thursday at the NCAA final site in Urbana, Ill.

Baylor women’s tennis also won the Big 12 regular season title, the program’s ninth in 11 years, led by Big 12 Coach of the Year Joey Scrivano and Big 12 Player of the Year Ema Burgic. When the postseason began, however, the 19th-ranked Lady Bears were sent on the road as a No. 2 seed, however, and lost to No. 11 Northwestern in the NCAA tournament’s second round.

Both Baylor track teams placed fourth at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in February, and the women improved on that finish at the Outdoor Championships earlier this month in Waco, finishing third. (The men came in seventh.) At the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, the women tied for 25th and the men tied for 32nd; they’ll look to improve on those finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 5-8.

Freshman Lauren Taylor won the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship individual title in April and led the Lady Bears to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA West Regional last weekend, one stroke shy of advancing to the NCAA Championship. Men’s golf is headed to an NCAA Regional for the 16th straight year and will compete in Pullman, Wash., Thursday through Saturday.

After finishing third in the Big 12, Baylor softball is headed to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in 10 years. The Lady Bears will play in College Station this weekend, beginning against Arizona Friday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2). Baseball has one more week of regular season play before the Big 12 tournament May 22-26 in Oklahoma City.

Outside the NCAA, acrobatics and tumbling claimed two individual national titles at the NCATA National Championship last month, and equestrian lost in the hunter seat semifinals of the NCEA National Championship.

Brittney Griner and Brooklyn Pope aren’t the only Lady Bears headed to pro sports.

Former Baylor soccer standout Hanna Gilmore made it through tryouts to land a spot on the inaugural season roster of the Chicago Red Stars, part of the newly founded National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The eight-team league is organized by the U.S. Soccer Federation and began its first season in April, and the 22-game schedule runs through August.

Gilmore appeared in all 86 Baylor matches during her four years in Waco, starting 78 as a forward and midfielder for the Bears. She finished her tenure at BU last fall ranked sixth in program history in career goals and career scoring and aims to contribute that same sort of offense as a forward for the Red Stars.

The Spring, Texas, native isn’t the first Bear to get a shot at professional soccer. Former Baylor All-American Dawn Greathouse played all three seasons (2001-03) in the short-lived Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA); one of her BU teammates, Courtney Saunders, was drafted into the league in 2001 but did not appear in a game.

Sic ’em, Baylor soccer!

As expected, Brittney Griner was selected with the first overall pick in Monday’s 2013 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury — the first Baylor player ever selected first overall in any major league draft. Teammate Brooklyn Pope was also drafted in the third round by the Chicago Sky; the pair were the eighth and ninth Lady Bears selected in WNBA draft history.

The Mercury rolled out all the stops after selecting Griner Monday night, introducing “the Griner Pack” of tickets, launching a special section of their website dedicated to the Baylor senior, unveiling a 77-foot banner in downtown Phoenix, and even “renaming” a street near their arena “Griner Street.” (You can also already order a “Griner 42″ Mercury jersey.)

But while signing as the top overall pick may seem the obvious choice, Griner could face an interesting decision: Should she go to the WNBA, where she’s predicted for stardom, or take a chance on a potential once-in-a-generation opportunity?

As you may have heard — even World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer picked up on the story — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has made headlines for suggesting that his team would consider taking Griner in this summer’s NBA draft. She wouldn’t be the first woman to get a shot with an NBA team — in 1977, the Utah Jazz drafted Delta State’s Lusia Harris before the NCAA even recognized women’s basketball — but it’s enough of a rarity that Cuban’s comments sparked all sorts of speculation.

Women’s basketball pioneer Nancy Lieberman said Griner should go for it; UConn coach Geno Auriemma, on the other hand, called it “absolutely ludicrous” to think Griner could make it in the NBA. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitski and coach Rick Carlisle each weighed in; Nowitski said it would be “tough” for her to make it, but Carlisle called her “a hell of a player.” And NBA.com columnist Fran Blinebury noted that Griner wouldn’t be the most unusual draft pick in NBA history.

Griner has said she’s interested by the possibilities; we’ll see what happens when the NBA draft rolls around in June. Until then…

Sic ’em, Brittney!

Baylor fans will get to enjoy watching seniors Pierre Jackson and A.J. Walton in the green and gold for one more game.

Jackson’s 24 points and 10 assists led Baylor men’s basketball past BYU Tuesday night, 76-70, in the NIT semifinals. [See photos from Baylor Photography and the AP.] The Bears will now face Iowa for the 2013 NIT championship Thursday night (8 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Head coach Scott Drew’s squad is in the NIT title game for the second time in five years; Baylor lost in the 2009 championship game to Penn State, 69-63; that game was the last at Baylor for Curtis Jerrells, Kevin Rogers, Henry Dugat and Mamadou Diene. But it also featured freshmen Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones and sophomore LaceDarius Dunn, players who would lead the Bears to two NCAA Elite Eights in the following three years.

[Want to show your support for the Bears as they aim for the NIT title? Back the Bears with a gift of $5, $15 or $50 to the Baylor Bear Foundation Endowed Athletic Scholarship Fund!]

Overall, the last five years under Drew have seen the Bears reach two NCAA Elite Eights and two NIT championship games. The Bears’ postseason record in that time is 14-3.

Baylor fans in Dallas (Christie’s, 2811 McKinney Ave.), Houston (Champps Americana, 1121 Uptown Park Blvd.) and other cities can gather with other Bears for watch parties Thursday night; to find out if there’s a gathering in your town, contact the Baylor Alumni Network.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!