Baylor coaches grind it on the recruiting trail. Drew doesn't take days off when it comes to recruiting and he expects that from his coaches as well. To those who have not followed it closely, it might seem like overnight success. But there have been tons of misses before the recent "hits" of Perry Jones, Quincy Miller and Isaiah Austin. Paul Mills on the Baylor staff had most of those kids go through elite camps that he helped organize when they were 6th- 8th graders before he was on the Baylor staff. Now, he's been on staff 7 or 8 years now so that goodwill is wearing off because the 2013 kids didn't go through those camps.
Baylor coaches have a reputation with parents as caring about the kids and bending over backwards to make sure their college experience is positive and help them get degrees. Drew has graduated 21 out of 22 (Dunn the exception) of players that have exhausted eligibility at Baylor.
Ekpe Udoh's success was a huge selling point for Miller and Austin. And certainly the angle they are taking with guys like Julius Randle. They hired John Wall's AAU coach back when the practice was still legal (it no longer is). It was a common big12 practice. It didn't help them land John Wall as they had hoped for. But they did get Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello from that same AAU program.
That all being said, they have no commitments for 2013 and this year is a crucial year for Baylor to have success on the court. You can only sell having fun; Christian environment; and graduation rates so much. Kids want to win; have a positive experience in college and go to the NBA. Last year hurt Baylor with 2013 kids and beyond because they were a dysfunctional mess on the court. There may be time to repair the damage for the 2013 class but perhaps not.
The other thing they have going for them right now is transfers are speaking highly of their experience at Baylor- Udoh; J'Mison Morgan (although on the court he has not produced); Gary Franklin; Brady Heslip. So they are a desired destination for transfers because of that at the moment.
