Baylor’s first-year coach Mark Price is surrounded by his seniors. Left to right are Blake Pruitt, Wiley Pippenger, Beyuan Hendricks, Lorenzo White, Greyson Linderman and Baird Thoni.
photo by Eddie Davis, Baylor School
When Baylor files into Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena for Thursday’s Division II-AA state tournament semifinal, no doubt the Red Raiders will flash back to the last time they walked off the court in the same building.
The painful memories experienced here last year have morphed into a team of resolve, determined to return to the scene of their disappointment to complete the mission that was left unfinished.
It was supposed to be a storybook finish, a perfect sendoff that would have ushered a legendary coach into retirement with a state championship in his final game. Playing in the title game for the first time in 16 years, Baylor was one win away from rewarding coach Austin Clark with a deserving championship trophy after 36 years at the helm, unaware of his pending retirement announcement that would come two months later.
But the Hollywood script was left on the cutting room floor. Brentwood Academy crushed Baylor’s dreams, dealing the Red Raiders a six-point loss en route to their fourth straight state title.
But the Red Raiders take their first step toward recapturing their lost opportunity at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday. In a matchup dripping with irony, Brentwood Academy (24-6) stands in the path of Baylor (22-5) and its quest for atonement.
The gnawing realization of being so close to winning their school’s first state basketball championship last season hung heavily over the five juniors who would come to comprise the nucleus of this year’s squad. Then there was the uncertainly of who would serve as Clark’s successor, the answer provided during the summer when Belmont assistant Mark Price accepted the post.
“It was tough not only for us, but also for the whole Baylor community because Coach Clark had been here for so many years,” senior Lorenzo White said. “Losing somebody who is the face of the basketball program and whose name is on the court was hard, and we knew that our senior year would be one of change.
“I wondered where we’d be at this time next year and how far we’ll make it. There was some uncertainty. I hoped it wouldn’t be like starting over.”
The Red Raiders certainly had plenty of firepower returning, led by dynamic senior guard Beyaun Hendricks. Five other seniors – White, Greyson Linderman, Wiley Pippenger, Baird Thoni and Blake Pruitt – gave Baylor a solid foundation entering the new regime.
The addition of sophomore post player Nick Kurtz, a dorm student from Pennsylvania, entering fall practice was another vital piece to the puzzle. But despite the veteran cast, there was still the matter of hearing a new voice as leader and learning a new system.
“I think our guys would tell you that the standards are not any different as far as what is expected with attitude and effort,” Price said. “Austin’s philosophy and mine are pretty congruent, and I would hope there wasn’t a huge amount of change. The styles of play are different because I come from a different background, but a lot of that is dictated by the personnel that’s available. You have to adjust to what walks in the door in high school because personnel changes from year to year.”
The transition to Price’s approach has been seamless for the Red Raiders.
“Coach Clark was an old-school coach where we didn’t watch film,” White said. “He coached by instinct and he wanted us to just play naturally. And now we’ve got Coach Price who brings much of what he learned as a college coach to the program, digging into the smallest of details on film that could be the difference between us winning a state championship on Saturday.”
The Price era could not have gotten off to a better start. Baylor won its first 15 games, including the championship of the Best of Preps tournament and a last-second win at Brentwood Academy.
But a rough stretch where the Red Raiders lost five of their next ten games – including lopsided defeats in the home rematch with Brentwood and at rival McCallie – could have derailed lesser teams. However, the leadership provided by the contingent of seniors has Baylor back in the state tournament.
“I always thought we should be the pick to win state this year, and now we’re back in position where we can finish what we started last year,” Pippenger said. “We had a much stronger start than I thought we probably would, then we had a worse patch of games than I thought we would. But every team goes through a slump during the season, and we learned a lot about ourselves during that time.”
The veteran influence emerged in the quarterfinal win at Christian Brothers last Saturday. Trailing by ten points in the second quarter, the Red Raiders went on a 19-1 run to secure a lead that was never threatened in the 65-51 victory.
“We’ve got seniors that have played a lot of basketball,” Pippenger said. “When we got down by ten, we maintained our composure. It takes a sense of maturity and camaraderie to come together and figure out what to do when things aren’t going exactly how we want them to go.”
Mr. Basketball finalist Hendricks is the linchpin to the Red Raider offense, averaging 17.6 points per contest with a season high of 29. But he’s only one thread in the mosaic Price has created this season. Kurtz is scoring 11 points a game with high-water mark of 21, while White, Pippenger, Pruitt and Linderman have all recorded double-digit outings.
“We have an interesting blend of talent on this team,” Price said. “We’ve got a man in Nick Kurtz who can score on the block that demands some defensive attention. We got an exceptional ball screen player in Beyaun, and Lorenzo is as well. Wiley Pippenger can face the basket and can stretch a defense with his outside shot. Then we’ve got shooters, rebounders and role players around that.
“They are all key contributors to our team, and they’ve all played important roles throughout our season. There are games among our 22 wins that, if different guys had not played exceptionally well, we might not have won the game.”
In addition to four-time champion Brentwood, the Final Four field is loaded with talented teams in the other semifinal. Briarcrest posted a 27-2 record, and steadily improving Ensworth is led by legendary coach Ricky Bowers who seeks his ninth state basketball title, five of those coming at Ensworth.
“If you look at the four teams that are in the semifinals, we’re not going to win the warm-up ‘look test’ athletically,” Price said. “But we’re better than we look athletically, and we’ve got a bunch of kids who, where they’re not able, they’re willing. That’s a character piece on their part.”
Poised to redeem last year’s disappointment, Pippenger recognizes the opportunity that awaits the Red Raiders.
‘It’s something that’s been our mission ever since we got to Baylor,” Pippenger said. “For me, it’s been a goal for seven years. For a while, it was for Coach Clark and it’s still for him because we were the last group of guys he coached. But it would be nice to cap off Coach Price’s first year with a state championship.”
Regardless of the outcome, Price will always cherish his first season at Baylor.
“Baylor is a special place and is the exception to the rule in a positive way on every level,” Price said. “This is a lot better situation than a many small colleges. But it will crush me when this season is over because this is a wonderful group of kids. I have literally looked forward to practice with them every day. That is not any kind of coach-speak. It’s real.
“I was meeting with Beyaun in here last week and I always ask them, ‘Are you having fun?’ Beyaun said he was having a blast because, at the end of the day, I want this to be a memorable experience for our seniors. He got up to walk out, then he turned to me and asked ‘Coach, are you having fun?’ It says a lot about him that he would take the time to ask his coach that question. He cares a lot more about what’s going on around here than he does himself. That’s why this season has been so memorable, working with a group of guys and teaching them lessons that supersedes basketball.”
To contact Paul Payne, email paulpayne6249@gmail.comor via Twitter @Paul_A_Payne