Scott Drew thankful to see Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua return to the court

Less than one year after undergoing surgery to repair multiple ligaments in his knee, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua returned to the court for Baylor on Saturday against Texas Tech. He rightfully received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he checked into the game during the first half.

He finished the game playing 14 minutes with eight points and four rebounds to his credit. He nailed two 3-pointers in the process — both of which ignited the fans inside the Ferrell Center.

“It’s a special day. I want to thank God for just allowing Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua to heal. It’s a miracle,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said postgame. “When the injury happened and hearing the prognosis as things came in, as a coach and someone that loves Jon and works with him, you didn’t know if he would ever walk, run, let alone play basketball.’

“One thing about Jon is that his timetable is a little different than everyone else’s. His work ethic is a little different than everyone else’s. … You can tell he makes a big impact on the court just by watching the energy, passion he plays with.”

Drew said that during the year Tchamwa Tchatchoua was forced to sit out, the former co-defensive player of the year worked hard on honing his offensive skills. The day after he sustained his injury he was in a chair, leg up, basketball in hand and working on his shooting form. He was relentless in his recovery leading up to Saturday, and it was all worth it.

After the game, Tchamwa Tchatchoua said the atmosphere was surreal and it was a miracle for him to even be out on the court. He spent the night before praying about everything he’s had to go through to make it from his tragic injury to making a comeback against Texas Tech.

His first game back is behind him, and now he can settle back into Baylor’s lineup and be just as disruptive a defender as he was before.