YOU'VE HEARD THE EXPRESSION "LOADED FOR BEAR!" NEXT SEASON THE BAYLOR BEARS ARE RE-LOADING!!

Kim Mulkey's Baylor Bears from Waco, Texas will be playing in the Alamodome next April, along with Stanford, UConn, and South Carolina - the usual suspects. Anyway, that's the way I see it going down. The main reason will be the remarkable emergence of NaLyssa Smith their 6'-2" Junior post player. Between her freshman season and last season Kim Mulkey challenged NaLyssa to turn herself into a high level basketball star - so she did. Check out the link below. She was the key factor in the Bears beating the Huskies up in Storrs, Connecticut last season, scoring 20 points and taking down 12 rebounds. She's going to be a major problem for everyone they play next season and is probably the longest and quickest 6'-2" player in the country. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLEDaj2SY90

Along with NaLyssa, the Bears return DiDi Richards, a 6'-1" senior defensive star who will turn herself into an offensive contributor by November. Queen Egbo is a 6'-3" junior athletic post player who will join NaLyssa in the middle. The other people I know of who will get minutes are Ursin Moon, Sarah Andrews, and Hannah Gusters. The last two are five star recruits from the same high school in Irving, Texas.

Charlie Creme and the other analysts at ESPN put together the following appraisal and put Baylor just outside the Final Four in San Antonio next year. Obviously, Kim, NaLyssa and I disagree.

5. Baylor Lady Bears

The Lady Bears, the defending national champions, had legitimate hopes of winning the NCAA title again this season. Instead, they finished on a sour note: a 57-56 loss at Iowa State in which the winning point came on a free throw after a foul called with one-tenth of a second left. Still, the Lady Bears were Big 12 regular-season champions for the 10th year in a row, and forward Lauren Cox was the league's player of the year and an Associated Press first-team All-American. But Baylor loses her and fellow senior starters Juicy Landrum and Te'a Cooper, both guards, plus reserve center Erin DeGrate. Back are two other starters: rising junior forward NaLyssa Smith, who led Baylor in scoring at 14.3 PPG, and rising senior guard Didi Richards, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Also back is rising junior Queen Egbo, who will form a strong post tandem with Smith. Baylor brings in two HoopGurlz top-10 recruits: point guard Sarah Andrews and center Hannah Gusters, each rated No. 2 at her position. Baylor should once again be the team to beat in the Big 12. -- Voepel

Projected starters for the semi-final game next April:

Maya Dodson     6'-3" Sr.    NaLyssa Smith      6'-2" Jr.
Kiana Williams   5'-8" Sr.   Ursin Moon          5'-6" Sr.
Lexie Hull           6'-0" Jr.    DiDi Richards     6'-1" Sr.
Haley Jones        6'-1" So.   Queen Egbo          6'-3" Jr.
Ashten Prechtel  6'-5" So    Hannah Gusters    6'-4"  Fr.

One of the finest semi-final games you could hope for. 
I can't wait!