I’ll admit I wanted to see Gonzaga win the National Championship and finish undefeated and was shocked by Baylor’s dominant win.
However, when I take a step back and appreciate Baylor’s unbelievable championship performance, along with understanding the journey the program has been on, I’m blown away.
Here are a few ways it’s been described:
Jim Nantz’s final call during the CBS broadcast was, “Coach (Scott) Drew and Baylor complete college basketball’s greatest rebound and rebuild…with a championship!”
A headline on The Athletic reads, “Baylor’s NCAA Title Run is Scott Drew’s Masterpiece, an 18-year Rise From Basketball Ruin”
Matt Norlander on cbssports.com wrote, “The greatest program reinvention in men's college basketball history was complete.”
In 2003, Head Coach Scott Drew took over the Baylor program following their tumultuous scandal that involved one of their players being murdered by a teammate and a cover-up by the previous coach.
With the Baylor basketball team also guilty of major NCAA rules violations, Drew was asked to take on the seemingly impossible task of rebuilding a program in ruins.
His tenure began with the team having a four-scholarship reduction, a postseason ban, five-year probation, and a two-season restriction that limited them to only a Big 12 schedule. Drew had to offer open tryouts for walk-ons to fill out the roster.
Despite these challenging obstacles, Scott Drew took on the job with optimism and the vision of winning a National Championship.
When recently asked if he was skeptical about taking the job back in 2003, he responded, “No, I prayed about it. I felt led to come here. I really believed in the vision of the school, from the president and the administrators during that time and what they wanted Baylor to continue to grow and become.”
He's also been quoted as saying, "I always want to be open to what the Lord wants me to say and do in my life and how I spread His Word. I prayed about coming here and I felt led to come. When He says ‘Go,’ you go."
Former assistant coach, Matt Driscoll, says this about coach Drew’s approach:
“You talk about vision and most people, they think about a stairwell, they look up and say, ‘OK, this is where we’re going.' With him, it’s just the opposite. He looked at every step up the stairs, and said, ‘We’re going to go here, and then here, and here. But I promise you, eventually we will get to the top.'’’
Sure enough, despite opposition and challenges, Drew’s vision came to fruition 18 years later as the program has been rebuilt, revived, and restored.
As we consider the rebuilding story of Scott Drew and Baylor, let’s also unpack the story of Nehemiah in the Bible. In Nehemiah 1:3-4, this is what he was told (along with his response) regarding the state of Jerusalem after the Babylonians had conquered it and left it in ruins:
“'Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.' When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.”
After Nehemiah prayed, he went to the king for permission as well as resources to lead the charge and rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. In Nehemiah 2:8 he says, “And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
Then Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to do what God had put on his heart. He explains to those who would be part of the work, "'...You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.'
"I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, 'Let us start rebuilding.' So they began this good work” (Nehemiah 2:17-18; NIV).
As the story continues, Nehemiah faces opposition and challenges. However, in Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NIV) it tells us, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”
As we see the parallel between these two stories, we can recognize how prayer and God-given vision led two men to take a step of faith and embrace the rebuilding process.
In the end, God received the glory because both were impossible situations without His intervening, leading, and providing.
Today, if we find a certain aspect of our life in ruins and needing a rebuild, let’s be encouraged by Nehemiah and Scott Drew to seek God in prayer, follow Him where He wants us to go, see the vision for what could be instead of what is, and then go one step at a time in faith trusting God to do the rebuilding...for His glory.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I trust You will meet me in my brokenness and rebuild the areas of my life that are in ruins. I know that nothing is impossible for You and I pray You’d receive all the glory as I trust You each step of the way. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
In what ways has God rebuilt your life?
In what ways are you praying that God would rebuild your life?
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