Cameron Carr, Dan Skillings talk about Baylor's unique addition of James Nnaji

The former 7-foot NBA Draft pick is now in Waco and his teammates are excited about the chance of playing alongside him.

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While he won't be playing on Monday against Arlington Baptist, Baylor recently added 7-foot center James Nnaji to the team. The former 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft signed with the Bears ahead of Christmas and he is now in Waco, learning all about Baylor.

The Bears are being ridiculed by the college basketball world for signing a former NBA player. But as head coach Scott Drew recently said, Nnaji never played an NBA game, and programs are going to do what helps them win games.

Baylor star Cameron Carr is excited to get to work and play alongside Nnaji. He believes Caden Powell and Nnaji are going to be a formidable force down low.

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"I think it's unique, the situation that he's stepping into," Carr said of Nnaji on Sunday. "Him and Caden [Powell] are going to be a very, very powerful force when it comes to a really good big man group. And so I just think that over time, they're going to be able to pick things up off each other and be able to balance each other out.

"Caden's a really, really good leader, vocal leader. And so I feel like that's something that he can pick up from Caden.A nd then probably he can teach Caden some things because he's been playing basketball a long time. So I don't know, I think they're going to be able to work really well off each other."

Welcoming Nnaji with open arms

If you don't want to see the hate spewing, it's best not to look on the internet. Media members, fans, and even opposing coaches are questioning the decision from both the NCAA and Baylor for bringing in Nnaji. But one player who understands what it's like to be a mid-season transfer is Carr himself.

Last season, Carr transferred from Tennessee in late January, and while he couldn't play with Baylor last year, he understands what Nnaji might be going through.

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"I'd probably just say that, man, our arms are open for him." Carr said. "It's going to be home. We don't have any negative views on it. I mean, I was a midseason transfer last year and I feel like I got a lot of hate for it. And so you kind of just got to accept the role you step into and know that it's not going to be easy. There's going to be negative opinions and all that stuff. But we're here with open arms, ready to accept him. We're excited to have him and just get to meet him and learn how he plays."

Baylor is full of transfers. Another one is Dan Skillings, who came over from Cincinnati. The three-year Bearcat is now a starter for the Bears, and like Carr said, the entire team is going to rally alongside Nnaji and welcome him with open arms.

"And it's us, too. You know, it's all of us together," Skillings said. "And like Cam said, we'll get him in. We'll open arms. And it's just going to be us, the coaches, the athletic department, everything, the players, managers, GAs, all of us.

"It's only us, no matter what it is. And we care about our team. We're not worried about what the outsiders think about whatever their opinions are. All the opinions that only matter is us and Baylor basketball. And we'll keep it at that. We'll get to work and get him. We'll open arms and everything like that and make him feel real comfortable."

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