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'Our Time' blog | An emotional punch in the gut

In Episode 7 of the ESPN+ series "Our Time: Baylor Basketball," we see Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua's season-ending injury & how the Bears responded.

WACO, Texas — As far as the storytelling goes, Episode 7 of the ESPN+ docuseries Our Time: Baylor Basketball was by far the best thus far.

But, for Baylor faithful, it's hands down the hardest watch yet.

In the latest episode of the series, released Thursday, the final sequence of the show is the Bears' 80-63 win over Texas. It's especially focused on Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua's season-ending injury and how the Bears responded.

I don't remember seeing the injury so clearly watching it on TV.

But it comes through as clear as possible in Our Time and as Scott Drew walks up, mic'd up for the show, you can hear the agony Tchatchoua is in immediately afterward.

The episode I felt did a much better job of showing the reaction of the players than the broadcast did. I'm not blaming the game crew for that, they had to tell the ongoing story of the rest of the game.

But it became more clear just how much of a punch to the gut everyday Jon's injury was to the reigning national champions. A player who was just three days removed from scoring a career-high 21 points at Kansas State.

The only thing I would say, is I wish we would've seen either Chris Beard's statement about the injury in his press conference or Beard going up to check on him.

Credit: AP
Baylor forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, bottom, is checked on Texas head coach Chris Beard, top left, and Baylor guard Dale Bonner, right after falling to the court with an apparent leg injury during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin)

Both aspects of that, I felt, were seemingly rare, especially for an in-game injury, because we rarely see an in-game injury that we can tell is that severe, immediately.

But the most gut-wrenching part is Drew's reaction with Sports Information Director David Kaye. 

Kaye showed him the slow-motion video of the injury. He knew. And he was devastated for his player.

On Sunday, the Bears announced Tchatchoua would miss the rest of the season and had surgery Tuesday to repair multiple ligaments in his left knee.

Drew showed the roller coaster of emotions in this episode. It started with a light-hearted classic Scott Drew moment at the beginning of the episode, joking that a coffee machine is the biggest perk to winning a national championship.

Although I'll give Drew some credit, that's a coffee machine I'm extremely jealous of and hope my fiancée doesn't see, because I know she'll want one, too.

There was a heartwarming section of the episode in the middle, too.

Ja'Mee Asberry's story of tragedy to triumph is incredible and she understands how easily it could have swung in a different direction after her mom passed.

That storyline with Asberry makes you want to cheer for her even more, at least to me.

Catch the latest "Our TIme" Blog Reactions here:

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