Baylor Scheierman selected first round, 30th overall, by the Boston Celtics
Baylor Scheierman looked at his phone. Then the television screen. He tried to hold conversations with friends and family, but his attention quickly went back to his phone and the TV.
The wait was almost too much to bear. Scheierman had nearly chewed through a plastic water cup. Why wasn’t the phone ringing?
“I was at peace with whatever may happen,” Scheierman shared in the waning minutes of Wednesday night following his draft selection. “It was getting towards the end of the first round and I was okay with it (not being selected in the first round).”
It was after 10 p.m., time for the final pick of the first round in the 2024 NBA draft. The defending champion Boston Celtics were on the clock.
Then, finally, the phone rang. Chaos ensued.
With a room full of anticipating family members and a swath of media members there to document the moment, NBA commissioner Adam Silver read Scheierman’s name as the final selection of the first round and the entire Let it Fly sports bar in downtown Omaha erupted in cheers and applause.
It was a dream come true for Scheierman, a kid from small-town Aurora, Nebraska, who let the emotion out before his phone finally rang.
“It kind of just all happened so quick,” Baylor said. “I knew the Celtics really liked me, but with how the night was going, I wouldn’t have been surprised. I was just super excited.”
Baylor’s mother, Shannon, got the first hug with her oldest son, a smile big enough to light up the entire city of Boston.
Despite some of the unknowns that night, Shannon never once let the smile drift away. She was watching her son’s dreams come true in real time.
“It’s just unbelievable, standing there watching him,” Shannon said. “Knowing being a first round pick was his goal, his dream. To see Mac (Creighton coach Greg McDermott) put his hand on Baylor’s shoulder and all of us take off in an instant was so overwhelming. Just beautiful.”
Before Baylor’s phone rang, it was coach McDermott’s that buzzed. That one call set off a frenzy that didn’t stop until well after midnight.
Baylor’s Dad, Scott, was emphatic as his eldest son’s name was recited as the 30th overall selection in the NBA draft with a fist pump to end all celebrations.
“I guess they save the best for last,” Scott said with a smile. “It’s a relief. I was kind of expecting his name to be called sooner, but I’m so happy for Bay. The Celtics are a great organization and great culture. I just love that they love Baylor.”
Directly in the shadow of Baylor as the call came through was Booker, the not-so-small-anymore youngest of the Scheierman clan and to-be senior at Aurora.
Booker shared in the elation with his sisters -- Jama, Jasa and Masa -- as Baylor’s name was recited on television.
“That was amazing,” Booker shared of hearing his older brother’s name announced as a first-round draft pick. “Growing up in Aurora, Nebraska, we’ve always dreamed about it. But for him to actually do it, it means so much for us and him. It’s a dream come true.”
Baylor, in the chaos of it all, made sure to share a moment with each one of his family members who were in the same room as his name was called.
That moment meant more to him than anything.
“It was just very special. My family is a big reason why I’m here and the backbone of who I am. To have them here in this moment meant everything.”
Inner circle of friends
Watching Scheierman’s dreams come true from across the venue were several of his former Aurora coaches and teammates, sharing a small but important piece to the thrilling nature of the night.
Former Husky basketball coach Tom Leininger was there, sporting a crisp blue Creighton polo, but wasn’t quite able to wrap his mind around the fact one of his former players just became a professional athlete.
“It’s awesome. I still have goosebumps,” Leininger said, rubbing his forearms. “It’s hard to describe the feeling.”
Aurora junior varsity basketball coach Scott Phillips has been there all along and maybe most importantly, there Wednesday night to share in the celebration. Phillips was the one opening the gym for 5 a.m. workouts that Scheierman began going to before he was even in high school. It’s where the groundwork for the dream began.
“Surreal is the best way to put it,” Phillips said. “Time goes by pretty fast, especially as you get later in your career. Baylor has been coming in since he was an eighth grader. “A lot of people see the success he has had on the court and the teams he’s played for but they don’t realize all the work he’s put into it. I was fortunate enough to be part of that with those morning workouts. Waking up at 5 a.m. as an eighth grader is unheard of and Baylor has earned everything.”
Several of Scheierman’s former Husky teammates were on hand to celebrate “their guy.”
Henry Penner and Scheierman were a well-oiled machine on the basketball court. A year his senior, Penner gave a quick demonstration of catching a Scheierman pass.
Word to the wise -- hands up.
“This is a surreal moment. He is the best passer I’ve ever played with,” Penner said, a former Division II basketball player in his own right. “He’s one of those guys where you always have to have your hands ready, just an unselfish player. This is an absolutely unreal moment. I couldn’t be happier for Baylor.”
Scheierman has made it a point on many occasions to give thanks and gratitude to his hometown as well as former coaches and teammates.
He sat with those guys at different moments throughout the night and also shared a three-way conversation with Leininger and McDermott, two of his biggest basketball mentors.
“It meant everything to have them here,” Baylor said of his former teammates and friends in attendance. “I always say life is about relationships. It really is. I’m thankful and grateful for everyone that supported me from Aurora to South Dakota State to Creighton. That’s what it’s all about.”
Hometown reaction
Scheierman has never forgotten where he came from. All roads, in some form or fashion, lead back to Aurora, Nebraska.
“It’s just crazy to think about,” Baylor said. “I was a little kid dreaming big and just worked really hard. I didn’t let anybody tell me I couldn’t do anything and had a lot of people help me along the way. I just hope my story can inspire other people in the same situation.”
Baylor may not have to look very far for someone who took that message to heart.
“Honestly, it makes me want to chase that dream, too,” Booker revealed, watching his older brother’s dream become reality. “It makes me motivated and it really makes me want to do that when I grow up.”
There are a lot of future Huskies who feel the same way.
Leininger noted his relationship with Scheierman has been quite close since the former Husky left high school. The two would exchange texts after each of Scheierman’s college basketball games the last five years, even as Scheierman’s inbox overflowed.
“His phone blows up all the time,” Leininger said with a laugh. “But, we would talk after every game.”
Scheierman agreed. He never stopped taking advice from his high school coach and was beyond thankful for what Leininger did for him, from talking to college recruiters to more recently, NBA scouts.
“We stay in touch all the time,” Baylor added. “He’s a big role model in my life and a person that’s been there with me every step of the way. He was the first person to really believe in me and I’m very grateful he could be here for this moment.”
During Scheierman’s years in high school, Scott was an assistant coach for the Huskies. Coached him up well before that, too.
Looking back, it’s nothing but special memories for Scott and the emotion was visible Wednesday night.
“It went by fast,” Scott said. “I wish I would have enjoyed it more, looking back. But, it was great bonding time. It was just a great experience for our family.”
When they weren’t being coached by Dad, Baylor and Booker were in the driveway, always competing.
Booker admitted he didn’t win very often, but on that rare occasion he did, that was his championship.
How important are those victories now?
“It was always competitive,” Booker said. “He won most of the time but when I got one, it felt like I won a championship.”
It still didn’t feel real for Penner, hearing his friend’s name on television to become a NBA player.
“I don’t really have words for it,” Penner added. “This is a friend I played Mario Golf with growing up. To hear his name called in the NBA draft is just, I have no words.”
Phillips’ heart couldn’t take it, especially as the selections in the 20s went by, one after one with no mention of his former player.
Now, finally, he has a professional team to root for.
“It was a lot of anticipation,” Phillips said. “You’re waiting on every single pick and to have him go to a historic program like the Celtics is pretty awesome. I’ve told people I don’t really have a NBA team, but now I do.”
Leininger called some of those Aurora teams Scheierman played on from 2015-19 as good as he’s been around in 20-plus years of coaching.
While Scheierman wasn’t even close to being the best player on that team as a freshman, he worked until he was not only that, but what Leininger called the best player in the state.
“He went from being a player on our team that didn’t play as a freshman to by the time he was a senior, he was one of the best players in the state of Nebraska,” Leininger explained. “It’s just amazing how much better he gets every three years. I told the NBA scouts if he gets another three years, he’s going to be unbelievable.”