A recent injunction in an Ohio court has massive implications in Waco, Texas, as it has allowed someone we believed was a former Baylor basketball player to now be an active Baylor basketball player. I am, of course, talking about Waco native Caden Powell.
Powell landed at Baylor last season after stints at Wyoming and Rice, and had a solid season for the Bears, where he was expected to step in as a backup center for Scott Drew. Powell ended the season as the starter, though, after a laundry list of injuries for the team, which left the group very thin.
Caden Powell directing the defense against Cincy this past season. | via Baylor Athletics
This year's team is far different, though, and a lot of that is a testament to Scott Drew and his staff making sure they built a group that has the depth to withstand a full season and play through March. Powell is the final addition to this deep squad, and while the staff may not have known he would be available until very recently, he was a welcome addition and perfectly rounds out the roster.
I don't think Caleb Powell immediately steps into the starting lineup, but he will have a massive role as his defensive impact is nice to have off the bench, and he can act as a lob threat on the other end as well.
Caden Powell played a massive role for the Bears last season. | via Baylor Athletic
The depth chart for the Bears could look a lot like this come November.
Starters: Kayden Mingo (So.), Dylan Mingo (Fr.)
Rotation:Isaac Williams IV (Jr.), Brett Decker Jr. (Jr.), Andre Iguodala Jr. (RS-Fr.)
Depth/RS:Drew Perry (So.), James Goodis (Sr.)
Starters:Isaac Celiscar (Jr.), Evan Chatman (Sr.),
Rotation:Elijah Williams (Fr.), Maikcol Perez (So.), Andre Iguodala Jr. (RS-Fr.)
Starter:Juslin Bodo Bodo (Sr.)
Rotation:Caden Powell (Sr.), Mayo Soyoye (So.)
Depth/RS:Tegra Makabu (Fr.)
| PG |
SG |
SF |
PF |
C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayden Mingo (So.) |
Dylan Mingo. (Fr.) |
Isaac Celiscar (Jr.) |
Evan Chatman (Sr.) |
Juslin Bodo Bodo (Sr.) |
The great Scott Drew teams of the past had quality depth at the Center position. In 2021, Baylor had Flo Thamba, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, and Mark Vital enforcing the paint and anchoring that great guard defense while also adding power and offensive rebounding on the other end. While I don't expect Mayo Soyoye, Caden Powell, and Juslin Bodo Bodo to fully match what the 2021 guys did, I do expect them to somewhat recreate it, and that will be massive for Scott Drew this season.
Powell adds a lot of experience to this group as well. While the team seems to be very together and have lots of leaders, they are very young across the board. Evan Chatman and Juslin Bodo Bodo were the lone seniors on the team before the Powell addition. Powell's wealth of experience, especially in the Big 12, is going to be essential to this group.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/baylor as Projecting Baylor Basketball's Depth Chart in 2026-27 With Caden Powell Back .
