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Wednesday, January 21, 1998
Unlikely Bears tied with No. 3 Kansas for Big
12 lead
By JOHN WERNER / Waco Tribune-Herald
WACO, Texas -- Harry Miller figures that if Baylor finishes
second in the Big 12 basketball race, they'll schedule a ticker
tape parade down Franklin Avenue "with confetti and everything."
If Baylor wins the Big 12, they might make Miller mayor.
These are heady days for the Baylor basketball program. With
a 97-95 win Saturday over No. 25 Oklahoma State, the Bears improved
to 5-0 in the Big 12 and are tied for the league lead with third-ranked
Kansas.
A team that looked in disarray in November losses to Lamar
and Northwestern (La.) State has made a 180-degree turnaround.
A team that needed a last-second three-point overtime prayer by
Patrick Hunter to finish non-conference with a 5-5 record is now
beating Big 12 teams handily.
"I don't know if other people think we're legitimate,
but I believe we are," Miller said. "When you win two
Big 12 road games (against Texas and Texas Tech), it has to give
you a lot of confidence. You can build on wins like that. We're
a good team now and I still think we have a tremendous upside."
In recent weeks, the Bears have learned that chemistry can
go a long way. You don't have to be the biggest or fastest team
as long as you play well together.
When the Bears were struggling, they were taking wild shots
and center Brian Skinner was getting little help under the boards.
The Bears had so many injuries that they couldn't find any offensive
consistency.
Now, the Bears are getting healthier. But even more importantly,
every player has accepted his role.
Skinner has played the best basketball of his career in Big
12 games as he's averaged 18.9 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Hunter and Roddrick Miller are not only dangerous perimeter
shooters, they are also superb defensive guards who complement
each other well. Sophomore forward Jamie Kendrick has developed
into a force underneath.
Forward Leon (Brick) Morris doesn't score a lot, but he is
an aggressive defender who gets tough rebounds and makes the opposing
player work for shots.
"I think the guys are realizing now that you don't need
five chiefs," Harry Miller said. "A team needs chiefs
and Indians. Everyone has slid into his role."
Players like John Perkins and Kish Lewis are giving the Bears
valuable minutes off the bench. Perkins can hit a three-pointer
in a pinch or get a rebound in traffic. Back from a knee injury,
Lewis has given the Bears another big, physical presence in the
paint.
"A guy like John Perkins is an ideal role player,"
Miller said. "He's a senior who knows how to play. He understands
the offense, sets great screens and doesn't make mental errors."
Miller believes the Bears rough start may have toughened them.
"We would have liked to assess our players during the
preseason, but injuries kept us from doing that," Miller
said. "We struggled early, but sometimes when you go through
a bed of thorns, it will toughen you down the line."
Miller doesn't expect his squad to take anything for granted
in a league as tough as the Big 12. The Bears play at Colorado
on Wednesday. The Bears will then host Oklahoma on Saturday before
heading to Lawrence to play Kansas on Jan. 28.
"We've played several teams that we're familiar with like
Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M," Miller said. "But
pretty soon we'll be going into unchartered waters. Going to Kansas
will be a tough deal and later in the season we'll go to Nebraska.
We know that road trips at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are also
going to be tough.
"We know we'll take some bumps and pings along the way,"
Miller said. "But we're a confident team and that confidence
is growing every game."
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Distributed by The Associated Press
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