In 2003, Baylor head coach Scott Drew inherited a mess. Not only was he responsible for assembling a new roster amid scandal and sanctions, but he was also tasked with the challenge of fostering a winning culture while odds were heavily stacked against him.
Despite the tragedy and adversity, despite the peaks and valleys, Drew's confidence never wavered. He was adamant about one day leading Baylor to a national championship -- just watch old clips from his introductory press conference -- and re-establishing the Bears as a legitimate, respected program.
Drew bet on himself. He bet on his vision and process. And Baylor has undoubtedly reaped the benefits of believing in Drew for nearly two-decades, as they'll forever be known as the national champion that vehemently denied Gonzaga's bid for perfection.
"The great thing is -- and business owners can equate to this -- when you open a new business, you have so much work to do, you really don't focus too much on what you don't have or if you're going to make it," Drew told The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. "You just try to get better every day. And I was really blessed to bring in a great staff that really was positive, great work ethic, energetic. And every day, iron sharpens iron. So, if we had those moments, we'd pick each other up and it's on to the next thing, and we just tried to each day get better.
"And we had players that came in that really bought in to what we were trying to do. And that's why this championship isn't just for this year's team. It's for all the past players that have helped us get to this point, and the sacrifice and hard work that they poured into the program. And then obviously, getting back to the current guys, with summertime coming and sharing knowledge and working out with them and helping them to be successful. So, a great championship for not just this team, but for all the prior players that have come through."
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Baylor became the first team to win the national title game without trailing since UConn in 2014, and just the fifth team to ever win both Final Four games by 15-plus points.
The Bears' athletic director, Mack Rhoades, spoke to Gelb about the program's title during Tuesday's show, and explained why he believes Drew's greatest coaching moments and accomplishments are still forthcoming.
"Scott's an elite basketball coach, X's and O's guy," Rhoades said. "He's a student of the game, and continually getting better. And I think that's the beauty of him -- he hasn't reached his ceiling yet. He knows that and understands that. Scott is a much better coach today than he was 18 years ago. And again, the great thing about Scott is, five years from now, I think he's going to be a better coach than he is today, because he's humble, and wants to learn, and wants to get better. And not for himself, but for his players and for his staff. He's still evolving as a coach, which is a really, really cool thing."
The entire conversation between Drew and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.