March Madness Notebook: Baylor coach Scott Drew not talking about Louisville opening
Scott Drew has been at Baylor since 2003 and the coach made clear Thursday he’s staying put as he brushed off a question about being linked to Louisville’s job opening.
He didn’t talk about what Baylor might have done to keep him from replacing Kenny Payne, who was fired by Louisville. Drew is focused on his third-seeded Bears and Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against No. 14 Colgate in the West Region.
“I’m really blessed because I’ve got a great agent, like most coaches do,” Drew said. “They handle all that stuff and just let us coach and focus. During the season, that’s all I do is spend time focusing on Baylor.”
Drew finished sounding a little bit like the lead character in the movie “Forrest Gump.”
“And that’s all I’m going to say about that,” Drew said.
Drew won the national championship with Baylor in 2021 and taken the Bears to 12 NCAA Tournaments. His Bears have lost in the second round each of the last two years.
LUCKY NO. 13
Colgate may be the 14th seed in the West Region. It’s the number 13 that is treasured by the Patriot League university in Hamilton, New York.
The school opened in 1817 with 13 men contributing $1 each for $13 and saying 13 prayers to found the Baptist Education Society. They had 13 articles to the university’s constitution, and 13 even is painted on the Raiders’ court.
It might not be great for someone suffering from triskaidekaphobia — a fear of the number 13 — but Colgate embraces a number seen as bad luck by many. It is simply school lore celebrated with Colgate Day every Friday the 13th.
Coach Matt Langel said he is not a suspicious guy, but he realizes the importance of the number to the university.
“This has been a special season, not because it has anything to do with 13, because of the guys that I get to coach every day, the coaching staff I get to work with,” Langel said. “All coaches who sit up here will say that it’s a brotherhood and a family that they have. It truly is.”
This is Langel’s 13th year at Colgate. So the Raiders are hoping that brings more luck to the No. 14 seed Friday against Baylor in Memphis, Tennessee.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness