Could James Nnaji’s debut come when Baylor visits TCU?
All eyes will be on James Nnaji when Baylor travels to TCU to open Big 12 play on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Bears (10-2) created a stir when they signed Nnaji, the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, on Christmas Eve. Coach Scott Drew did not specify when Nnaji would be available but it could happen as early as this weekend.
"As soon as we get him all cleared, he's got to learn offensively, defensively," Drew said. "He can't play until he knows what he's doing out there. ... How quick depends on how fast he picks up things. It'll be great having an eight-man rotation at some point."
Baylor has routed four straight opponents, including a 124-61 victory over NCCAA-level foe Arlington Baptist on Monday. The 124 points were a season high for the Bears, who have topped the century mark the last three games and have the fifth-best scoring offense in the country (95.6 points).
The Bears' top scorers are Cameron Carr (21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds), who ranks 13th in the country in scoring, and Tounde Yessoufou (19.3 points, 5.9 rebounds).
Nnaji, a 7-foot center, will provide a boost when he debuts, especially for a Bears team that recently lost Juslin Bodo Bodo to a season-ending arm injury.
TCU (10-3) is riding a five-game winning streak. The Horned Frogs knocked off Jackson State 115-64 on Monday, with the 115 points serving as a season best.
Coach Jamie Dixon was particularly pleased with his team having 37 assists, including 10 by Brock Harding and nine by Micah Robinson. Harding is among the country's leaders in assists with 6.0 per game.
Overall, David Punch has established himself as the leader of the team, averaging 14.2 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Still, the focus remains on Nnaji as Dixon addressed the current state of the sport in his postgame news conference.
"Anything goes, everything goes in today's world," Dixon said. "All the old rules don't matter anymore. That's just the way it is. Not saying it as a bad thing, but every situation is new. ... But (coaching is) still fun, still enjoyable. At the end of the day, the players are the same. They're not different. They want to win, they want to get better."