Baylor has a long way to go to be compared to Duke. Scott Drew took over a much tougher situation than Coach K took over at Duke in the early 80s. Duke had been a national title contender with Mike Gminski and Gene Banks prior to Coach K. Baylor was an unmitigated disaster when Drew took it over.
What he has done there has been remarkable. But he has a lot going for him- location; commitment from Baylor to facilities; great conference; the freedom to build it the way he wanted to and the patience to allow him some growing pains.
Baylor has some big money donors who love basketball. I expect that Drew will be paid top 15 in the nation money and will stay at Baylor. He's a great fit for the school. And what he has built is his baby. I don't know if he will have the success of a Coach K. He's a totally different personality. Drew has more in common with a guy like John Wooden than Coach K from a personality standpoint.
They will not fade into oblivion though. They will miss Carter and Lomers much more than people will think. But AJ Walton is going to be a terrific player for Baylor. Great on the ball defender and knows how to distribute. Having Tweety mentor him is going to pay huge dividends for AJ.
Ekpe will likely go pro and they will miss him. But the cupboard is not bare. They have Cory Jefferson, Anthony Jones, Perry Jones, Dragan Sekelja and Quincy Acy. These are all players with tremendous physical skills and a desire to work hard and improve.
Baylor will get either Quincy Miller or LeBryan Nash for 2011- both are top 10 in the nation types. They should be able to maintain consistent NCAA tournament teams going forward.
