In his final three games before the NCAA Tournament, Flagler wasn’t playing well. Jakus says, “If we don’t get his 22 points, if he didn’t hit those four threes, exchange baskets, we have no chance.” His quick triples-and that high release-meant that when players wanted to stop Mitchell from getting to the hoop, they were doomed leaving Flagler in the corner: “We were playing, but we needed that extra boost my first year coming off the bench,” Flagler says. But thanks to Flagler’s 22 points, Baylor escaped with a 77-72 victory. And if not for Flagler, the Cyclones would have gone 1-17. The 2020-2021 Iowa State Cyclones went 0-18 in Big 12 play. “The coaches talked to the guys who were available they were going to depend on us coming back from COVID,” Flagler says. The remainder of the team had to largely wait to practice until just days before a dual with Iowa State. Mitchell, Butler, Mayer and Flagler were finally able to practice after a week of contact tracing. the program went on a 21 day COVID pause. He says, “It might be because I’m not the tallest guy and trying to always get my shot off and find ways to get it off even with people who are taller.” It worked well, as Flagler shot 69% from deep in Baylor’s five NCAA Tournament games against top 50 level competition.Īfter the Bears started 17-0. Flagler has a unique shot where the ball he releases the ball well above his head. That combination should help the Bears, especially if the guards aren’t quite as explosive off the bounce as the departing trio.īasketball’s unique because everyone’s game’s a little different. And when teams respect that shot, suddenly driving lanes open up for teammates. Per CBB-Analytics data, he hit 45.1% of his threes from 25-30 feet, which ranked in the 89th percentile. Illinois elected to play off Flagler when he stood so far beyond the arc, which opened the shot for him. Those shots make everything easier for Baylor’s offense. “Adam and LJ (Cryer) can shoot as deep as they want, and we won’t take that away.we won’t shy away from that,” Jakus says.įlagler adds, “extending further and further helped my game, and when the game comes, it helped me out.” In a top five tilt against Illinois, Flagler showed he can take and make deep threes: ‘This kid is going to be an All-American one day.” He played so well that Bakamus says, “Jared Nunes (Baylor’s Special Assistant and Director of Player Development) was already starting an All-American campaign. Bakamus was a graduate assistant and is now the Director of Player Development at Arizona. After that examination by the staff, they realized Flagler would fit in perfectly at Baylor.ĭuring his redshirt season, Flagler, “wanted to be in the gym a lot,” Rem Bakamus tells me. Prudhomme was a graduate assistant at Baylor and is now the Direct of Video Operations at Grand Canyon. John Jakus, an assistant coach at Baylor, “called and asked for all the research you can do from (Flagler’s) time at Presbyterian,” Peyton Prudhomme says. With Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague and Devonte Bandoo slated to play in 2019-2020, the Bears needed a guard that could sit a year and be an impact player to replace Bandoo for the 2020-2021 season. I felt like it was the perfect opportunity for me to find a new school and elevate.” He was a newer guy, first time being a head coach. To understand Flagler-a man so nice and complimentary that you’d feel terrible for him if he were your boss having to fire you-let’s start with how a Georgian at Presbyterian ended up at a Baptist school in Texas.įlagler tells me he left Presbyterian because, “The new coach that was coming in. Instead he figures to be one of the two best players on a team that thinks it can finish in the same spot it did a year prior. He’s no longer the sixth man that Five Guys wanted, as Baylor’s overwhelming quartet of guards left him coming off the bench during the Bear’s championship campaign. More than six months removed from hitting a three that extinguished any hope Gonzaga would beat Baylor in the national title game, Adam Flagler is preparing for what will probably be his final season in Waco.
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