Baylor forward Jalen Bridges returned to his former school and home state West Virginia on Wednesday night. Bridges and the Bears defeated WVU, 83-78.
Bridges entered the transfer portal last spring, committing to Baylor in April and staying in the Big 12 Conference.
“Playing here for three years I kind of knew how it was for an opposing team to come in here. I knew they boo somebody every game. It just happened to be me tonight because I went here,” Bridges said. “It’s one of the best atmospheres in college basketball. My teammates had my back tonight.”
The former WVU forward was introduced with a roar of boos throughout the coliseum as he took the floor. Bridges recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Bridges is in his third season playing in college basketball, two with West Virginia and one with Baylor. The Fairmont native played in 61 games for the Mountaineers from 2020-22, starting in 52 of those games. Bridges was a part of the 2021 NCAA Tournament team which he started the second half of the season on. During his sophomore season, Bridges averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 33 games.