Baylor Coach Scott Drew Confirms Another Season-Ending Injury to His Basketball Team

Baylor has a matchup with Kansas State on Tuesday night and the Bears need every win they can get from here on out. Baylor, 13-12 overall, has been playing a seven-man rotation in the last several games. The Bears have had a lot of injuries this past season, which helps explain the second-half collapses in Waco.

Prior to the season, big men Maikcol Perez and Juslin Bodo-Bodo went down with season-ending injuries. Baylor went out and signed former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji, but he hasn't turned out to be the player the Bears were hoping to get.

Guard JJ White was also supposed to be a big part of the new-look team. White suffered an injury early in the year, against Creighton, and it sounds like he won't be back this season, either.

Baylor Bears guard JJ White (1) runs the offense against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros. — Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

"...But I mean, Maikcol Perez just gets here in the first week," Drew said. "So it's not like we wore him down, it wasn't like he tears it in the first week. [Jusling Bodo] Bodo gets injured before he gets here, so those are two of them.

"Now, JJ gets a stress fracture, and he's tried to come back, and looks like he won't be able to return this year, but not by a lack of effort. And that's one that happened on our watch. Dan went down, and that can happen at any given time. But I think what's tough with coaches is when you have season ending injuries, and when you have multiple season ending injuries. And things are different with NIL and the portal. Teams aren't as deep as they once were."

Will some help return soon?

Former Cincinnati star, Dan Skllings Jr., has also been a big part of the rotation. Skillings Jr. hasn't played since Jan. 31 against West Virginia, and it sounds like he is nearing a return to the court — but not likely coming on Tuesday night.

"Yeah, so Dan has been working hard and full confidence he'll be back," Drew said. "The exact date I can't tell you, but Dan's always shared with me. He always comes back sooner than people think. And with my experience, so far he has. So with us, it's really important to have any additional player allows players to get a breath. And you look at our last couple losses, teams have gone on a run."

Baylor Bears guard Dan Skillings Jr. (0) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. — Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Getting Skillings Jr. back would be big for Baylor in its hopes of making a late-season run. The transfer is averaging 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Will some help return soon?

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