Baylor forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua available to play vs. Texas Tech

Baylor is getting a huge boost Saturday with the news that senior forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is returning to the Bears’ lineup. College hoops insider Jeff Goodman broke the news this afternoon that “Everyday Jon” is returning the court roughly a year after a brutal leg injury in 2022 that could have ended his career. Alas, JTT is BACK, per Goodman, who reported the news on Twitter:

“Source: Baylor’s Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is expected to play today against Texas Tech. JTT suffered a catastrophic knee injury with nerve damage and multiple torn ligaments on Feb. 12, 2022. Great news to see Everyday Jon back on the court. Also a big lift for Baylor.”

JTT was a vital bench piece of Baylor’s national championship squad. He and current starting center Flo Thamba were the rotating bigs for the Bears during their 2021 national title run and split time at the five. Thamba was the lankier rim-protector type, while Everyday Jon was a menace as a pick-and-roll finisher and brought the sixth-man energy Scott drew needed off the bench.

Let’s not pile any expectations on him after such a gruesome injury and long recovery, but the version of JTT we all last saw would make quite a difference for the Bears on both ends of the floor. Hoping he can re-find that form by the end of the season, but the journey starts today.

Tchamwa Tchatchoua started his career at UNLV but left after his freshman year when head coach Marvin Menzies was fired. He landed at transfer hotspot Baylor, where he had to sit out a year in 2019-20 before playing in ’21 since the rule change had not happened yet. However, the magic of that Baylor team was the continuity among its transfer-laden core.

Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Adam Flagler…so many of the Baylor stars on the title-winning team, including JTT, were imports from another program who had to sit for a year before playing for the Bears. Ultimately, that extra year together proved vital as that group grew into the most connected unit in the country, which is ultimately why they won the title. That and their ability to snipe threes and play gnarly defense.

Welcome back, JTT!