The Baylor Bears got some good news yesterday with Jalen Bridges’ announcement that he is returning to Waco for another season.
Tell a friend to tell a friend…
he’s baaaaaackkkk!#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/kYedmrUsJb— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) June 15, 2023Bridges is the last piece that Scott Drew needed to complete this roster. After Bridges withdrew from the NBA Draft, he was deciding between a return to Waco or an adventure in Australia playing in the NBL. His decision to play one more year for Baylor can be taken as an indication of a few things:
- Baylor’s NIL money for men’s basketball is sufficient to keep players from pursuing overseas professional options, at least in some circumstances
- Bridges sees Baylor as a better place to improve his NBA stock than playing professionally in Australia
- The addition of Bridges’ friend RayJ Dennis gave Bridges belief that this team can be competitive at a high level again
One, none, or all of those may have been factors for Bridges as he mulled over this decision.