Baylor Basketball Trending for 2027 5-Star Lewis Uvwo Ahead of Commitment
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Scott Drew knows a thing or two about landing five-star prospects. Since 2021, Drew has signed one five-star in each class up to 2026 at Baylor. Dylan Mingo flipping from North Carolina to the Bears was the most recent five-star to end up in Waco.
And Drew is on the cusp of getting his five-star prospect in the 2027 cycle. Five-star center Lewis Uvwo announced he would make his commitment on Wednesday, Oct. 28. He will decide between the Bears, Cal, Kentucky, and Providence.
Baylor is the trendy pick
Everyone wants to land the 6'11" must-have center out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) Prolific Prep, and while there isn't any strong intel suggesting Uvwo has made up his mind, Baylor is the trending pick.
Recently, Rivals' Jamie Shaw made some predictions on where some elite prospects might land, and when we got to Uvwo, he said Baylor is quickly picking up steam in Uvwo's recruitment.
"Lewis Uvwo rose to No. 10 overall in the 2027 Rivals150 this summer. The 6-foot-10 big man has taken official visits to Baylor, Providence, Kentucky, and Cal. While he has not announced a commitment date, it sounds like he is targeting a commitment before the early signing period. The momentum I am hearing is with Baylor and Providence, with Baylor recently picking up additional steam."
Uvwo would give Baylor what it needs down low
In today's age of college basketball, rosters can change so much year-to-year. Ask Scott Drew about that last season. It's all about retaining rosters, while recruiting high school talent at a high level. Not only was Drew able to retain a chunk of his roster from last year, but he added quality players from the transfer portal, along with a star 2026 recruiting class.
Baylor has played well in its exhibition games so far, and we will see how the Bears fare on the court this season once the regular season begins. But Drew knows he needs to land some elite players to get Baylor back on top.
Uvwo woud be that. He is ranked as 247Sports' No. 7 player in the country and the top-ranked center. 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein called Uvwo an elite defender with raw tools on the offensive side of the ball.
"Uvwo is a truly elite defensive prospect. It starts with his physical tools. Standing at 6-foot-10 with a nearly 7-foot-6 wingspan, he has massive length. More than that though, he’s also a tremendous athlete. He runs, jumps, and changes direction with ease and fluidity...Uvwo’s ability to block shots is virtually unmatched in high school basketball. He averaged 4.5 blocks per game in EYBL play, not only amassing whopping volume, but showing versatility in the way he can protect the rim.
"Offensively, he’s farther away and raw, but not without long-term tools to develop. His day one role will be as a rim-runner, lob threat, and offensive rebounder (2.8 per game). He also has solid hands and touch though. He catches cleanly and may have some potential to develop facing the basket (61% free-throw shooter). There are some flashes of footwork, but right now he’s not a decision-maker (0.4 assists vs. 1.1 turnovers) or someone you want to have the ball unless it’s immediately clear what he’s doing with it."
With Uvwo having another year of high school basketball, he can tune up his offensive skills, and assuming Baylor doesn't lose too much after this season, the Bears have enough offensive firepower that Uvwo could come in and become the defensive star Baylor could use.
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Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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