West Virginia’s Jalen Bridges Transfer to Baylor
As Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears look ahead to the 2022 season, there are a few spots on the roster to fill after players like Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sochan entered the 2022 NBA Draft.
On Wednesday, Drew and Co. filled one of those vacancies with Jalen Bridges, a talented wing who will transfer from Morgantown, West Virginia to Waco and remain in the Big 12.
Bridges was a four-star recruit in the 2019 cycle, and was the top player coming out of West Virginia that year.
At 6-7, 220 pounds, Bridges is of prototypical size for a wing, or guard-forward, in today’s game and will certainly create some mismatches for the Bears next year.
As a sophomore last season, Bridges averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 32.5% from three and 42.8% from the field.
The effect that Bridges can have on Baylor can’t be understated, as Coach Drew just added one of the most efficient scorers in the conference.
According to KenPom, Bridges was ranked 1st in offensive efficiency in 2020-21 and No. 4 in 2021-22. He also leads the Big 12 in turnover percentage, having only committed 38 turnovers in 61 career games.
Bridges will certainly be a part of the rotation in Waco next season, and brings intangibles that could help him flourish in a new setting.
