MONSTER ENERGY BIG 12 MEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAYS

October 20, 2026

Scott Drew

Kayden Mingo

Isaac Williams

Baylor Bears

Media Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Baylor men.

Coach, Baylor picked to finish 10th this go-around. You've been at the top of the top. Now you're working to get back to the top of the Big 12. Where do you feel like your team made the biggest steps in the off-season?

SCOTT DREW: Well, I can tell you the year I think we were picked 11th, we went to the Elite Eight in 2010. So the pre-season polls, the ending poll always matters the most. In the Big 12, you would rather be picked higher because people think more highly of your team going into it.

Anyone that's competed in the Big 12 just knows how tough nine out of the last 13 years, No. 1 ranked conference in the country with KenPom analytics this year, five in the top 12.

Top to bottom, the balance of the whole league, to survive that, you have to have depth. You ask what I like about our team. I think we have great depth. Because of that, hopefully we have more success this year than last year.

Then the second thing is, in college basketball, point guard play is so important. We're blessed to have multiple guys that can make plays off the bounce, create for themselves and others. That always is a good thing for coaches.

THE MODERATOR: In this day and age where it feels like things are changing by the hour, with eligibility, NIL...

SCOTT DREW: These two are eligible this year, by the way (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: But because things are changing so quickly, how have you been able or attempted to establish a consistent culture at Baylor?

SCOTT DREW: Yeah, well, one thing we always talk with our players, control what you can control. We have a culture: joy, Jesus, others, yourself. Their parents trust us with their development. Sometimes it's only for eight months, they go to the NBA, they transfer. Whatever time we have with them, we're going to empty our cup and give them all we can.

THE MODERATOR: Kayden, many options for you out there in the transfer portal. You opted for Baylor. Why was this the right fit for you?

KAYDEN MINGO: Baylor always has been my dream school. If you know me, you know how much I love Baylor. Coach Drew is the best coach in the country, in my opinion. He does a great job with his team's success and also getting his guards to play to the best of their abilities for the team to win, and then at the next level as well.

I felt like it was a no-brainer. This is where I wanted to be.

SCOTT DREW: You see why I like this guy (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Isaac, what do you envision for this back court?

ISAAC WILLIAMS IV: Man, I got big hopes for this back court. Obviously I've been in practice every day with them. They showed a little bit off what they can do in the exhibition. I've seen even better. I know these guys are even better. I'm just excited.

THE MODERATOR: Isaac, how did last season at Baylor, while there were some frustrations, tough games, how did that make you a better program and you a better player?

ISAAC WILLIAMS IV: I mean, it was a blessing. I still got to play Big 12 basketball no matter what. I mean, you obviously get to learn. I think you learn more from losses more than wins most of the time. Learned a lot from that team, what not to do, what to do, just taking it onto this team.

THE MODERATOR: Kayden, what is the difference between Big Ten and Big 12 basketball?

KAYDEN MINGO: I'd say the pace of the game is probably faster in the Big 12. Physicality level probably about the same. Yeah, I would just say seeing different matchups and stuff like that, I feel like the Big Ten has more traditional bigs as opposed to the Big 12.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, you mentioned joy as one of your pillars. You try to coach that way. You exude it. Not always easy to exude if wins are not piling up. How do you run that balance?

SCOTT DREW: I think every coach just wants to each and every day improve their team, give them a chance to be successful. Last year we had a completely new team. By the end of the year, I thought we put them in positions to be successful.

We had really close games with Arizona and Houston down the stretch. Those two teams were good enough to win national championships last year. You have to have a little bit of luck to make that happen.

With that, I think like Isaac having a chance to go through that, several other guys back that were redshirting or didn't play, still felt that and know what you have to do to be successful in the Big 12. Hopefully they can share some of that wisdom and knowledge with the rest of the guys.

At the same time with that, I know Isaac says sometimes you learn more with losses. We prefer to have learned enough last year so we don't have to learn any more this year (smiling). We'll do it through winning.

Excited for the start of the season. Another great non-conference schedule for us. Hopefully that gets us ready for the toughest league in the country.

Kayden talked a little bit of difference in the Big Ten and Big 12. Got the SEC, ACC, the power four. You look at it, last year the Big 12, they have nine draft picks in the first round. A third of the first round in one league. You have great traditions, great fan support.

This league is a players' league and there's great players.

THE MODERATOR: We have time for a few questions.

Q. Isaac or Kayden, when you look at the Baylor guards' play and the history of it, it's nothing but success. How do you guys want to contribute your own legacy as a Bear?

SCOTT DREW: That's a great question. Thank you, sir (smiling).

KAYDEN MINGO: We're all our own players, but we can definitely learn a lot from the traditions that Baylor has had with guards. Like I said, Coach Drew has done a great job with guards at this level, pushing them to the next level.

Yeah, we all do what we do and we bring what we bring to the table. Like when you watch the film, they show you player comparisons, you can see a lot of the things you can thrive in the same situation that they did.

Q. Coach, what type of impact do advanced statistics like KenPom and toRvik have on roster construction?

SCOTT DREW: I think coaches are always learning each and every day. As you get new metrics, you use whatever you think can give you an advantage to make sure you bring in the best players possible for your system.

Baylor University, largest Baptist school in the nation, a smaller family-type atmosphere. It's important, the character we bring in along with those metrics. We want them to have a great experience at Baylor. We want them to represent Baylor and the Big 12 the right way.

Those metrics can help with things on the floor. The intangible part is up to us, to make sure we're putting people that want to be at Baylor and want to represent the league and the team the right way, and can bond because they share common goals and beliefs.

Q. Kayden, you obviously already touched on playing in the Big Ten. How do you think that experience will help you as you transition?

KAYDEN MINGO: Yeah, I think the experience in the Big Ten will help me in the 12 by both are great conferences up and down. Anybody could beat anybody on any given night. You never got any room for comfort.

Coming into every game, influencing myself and my teammates that we can get got any night, making sure we come out there with the same approach and mentality every game to win.

Q. Coach, very simply, you spoke about it earlier, about roster construction, one of your member schools in the conference added another player this week. Give me the roadmap from your perspective about roster construction, how you're managing all of this in this brave new world of college sports.

SCOTT DREW: I think all of us are hoping, praying and excited to see what happens in the next couple months as far as guardrails, rules, being able to enforce what the rules are.

At the end of the day, most of us got into coaching because we want to have a chance to have an impact on young people's lives. For those that leave school early, go to the NBA, one of the hardest things a coach will ever have to do is try to get them to come back to school, get their degree. By the time they're done playing, they have two, three, four kids at home, they're married, and it's hard to find time to come back and get the degree.

For those that don't play in the NBA, if you're changing schools three, four, five times, we know statistically how hard it is to get that degree. At the end of the day, we want to see these young men be successful for the next 60 years of their life.

For us, academically we want to make sure there are guardrails so they can be successful.

College is a great life teacher. You can to learn through success, but also through adversity, you have to learn through patience. There's a lot of great qualities you learn in college.

Preparing them so they can be great husbands and great fathers, that's why people get into coaching just as much to win games. They want to have an impact, hopefully for a positive, on young people's lives.

As we find what the new rules will hopefully be, able to be enforced, hopefully we can put them in the best positions to be successful when they're in their 30s and 40s and 50s.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen.