Griner's early commit instrumental in Baylor's 2009 recruiting success
In mid-November the Baylor Bears were acknowledged as signing the top ranked recruiting class in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz. Despite the gut reaction that parity is coming to the game from the fan base that doesn't like the domination of the sport by Connecticut and Tennessee, at least in terms of the past 10 years, this shouldn't shock too many people.Baylor (2005) joins Maryland (2006), Notre Dame (2001) and Purdue (1999) as the programs that have won national championships that do not call themselves Huskies or Lady Vols.
The Bears' head coach Kim Mulkey has won national championships as a player, assistant coach and head coach so her expectations are up there with the Big Two whether the program gets the recognition or not.
"We won a national championship with players that were unranked and nobody wanted," Mulkey said.
Sophia Young, Steffanie Blackmon and Emily Niemann were the catalysts to the 2005 NCAA National Championship and those players came to Baylor with far less acclaim than this year's class.
"The first thing you start with is great recognition to our program," Mulkey said of her 2009 signing class, "I guess because these young ladies have a number in front of their names."
And right she is about the numbers in front of the players' names. The class includes No. 1 Brittney Griner, No. 17 Mariah Chandler, No 58 Jordan Madden, No. 64 Shanay Washington and the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year from last year, Kimetria Hayden.
Glenn Nelson for ESPN.com
Shot-blocking machine Brittney Griner is the top player in the Class of 2009.
The praise and awards for these players is deserved but the rankings alone don't translate to Final Four's.
"Honest to goodness I'm very protective of high school recruits before they get to college," Mulkey said. "I don't care how good or dominant you are in high school, it's a whole new ball game, a whole new philosophy… not only on the court but off the court as well."
With praise and rankings come expectations. For some of the top signing classes the expectations are beyond reality. Those that have followed the mens' college game a decent amount of time have the 1991-1992 Michigan Wolverines permanently in their memory. The recruiting class was dubbed the 'Fab Five' and Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber led the Wolverines as a starting five to back-to-back Final Fours as freshmen and sophomores.
"I don't want the added pressure," Mulkey said of the of unrealistic expectations of freshmen. "I will treat them no differently than any other freshmen. Most coaches will tell you the freshman year is the most difficult."
The college game is bigger, faster and stronger and there is an adjustment period, even for the best of players. While several of the recruits could see minutes and maybe even start as freshmen don't expect them to be seasoned veterans.
HoopGurlz.com
Mariah Chandler will be a solid forward playing along side Griner.
Wilson broke Baylor's career record for blocks during her sophomore year (she has 163 in two seasons). Griner, on the other hand, broke the national high school record for blocks in a game with 25 this year. The two could very well redefine the phase 'block party'.
"With Griner, I've never seen a kid like that playing basketball or coaching or I doubt we will ever see again." Mulkey said.
Griner is just scratching the surface of her abilities. The dunks, the blocks, they just come because of her size, athleticism and her natural intuition.
"What she does now is just god given instincts," Mulkey said. "When she really is around basketball 24-7 like you are in college it is really scary to think about what she will do … I don't know if people who haven't seen her - I don't think (they've) seen anything like her - you just have to shake your head and say I saw history tonight."
So the Big 12 and college basketball will be the canvas for the next evolution of the game and the real impact is what she will do defensively more than the dunking and what it will mean to her team defensively. She can erase mistakes.
"It goes without saying we're all going to talk about Griner because she's 6-8 and dunks effortlessly, blocks shots effortlessly… " Mulkey said, "but I want to make sure the four players in the class with her are mentioned because those kids would be a top ten class without her. Sometimes we overlook how good they are because Brittney brings so much to the table that is awe-inspiring."
The four players joining Griner have one thing in common, athleticism. Chandler is a bulldog that brings explosiveness and strength to the frontcourt. Madden is one of the fastest players in the country that will thrive in an up-tempo offense and a pressing defense. Washington is incredibly versatile with experience at the point and the size to play forward. Hayden, much like Madden, is at home tormenting the ballhandler the length of the floor and creating offense in transition.
Collectively the parts fit together and those fickle fans who chided Baylor for not landing the big names from Texas in the 2008 class like Nneka Ogwumike, Brooklyn Pope or Destini Hughes will have the opportunity to jump back on the wagon.
"You can't get too high and you can't get too low," Mulkey said of the attention you get with success and the criticisms that come with coaching as well.
The Bears will head into the next recruiting class with obvious needs in the backcourt. Baylor could use a point guard and a shooter in the next class. The shooter position will more than likely be filled by Mulkey's daughter, Makenzie Robertson, who played with Griner on DFW Elite. Another DFW product,
