Scott Drew was always Baylor’s coach. Now, a national championship has validated the school’s faith in him.

INDIANAPOLIS — For even the most casual fans, the Baylor men’s basketball team and coach Scott Drew were nearly impossible to avoid Tuesday.

Here were Drew and Final Four most outstanding player Jared Butler joking around on The Today Show.

There was Drew accepting an apology from Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take.

Multiple Waco TV stations carried the Bears’ triumphant return to Waco live from the airport Tuesday afternoon. Drew carried the NCAA championship trophy off the charter plane and then received the key to the city.

“It’s the culmination of sacrifice, all the work, dedication, all the good stuff,” Butler said, addressing fans at the homecoming. “It’s just real. We set our goal to win the national championship, and we accomplished the goal.”

Everywhere it seemed people were eager to hear more about Baylor’s success, about the players who took down undefeated Gonzaga 86-70 in the NCAA championship game on Monday and Drew’s 18-year program rebuild from the ashes of the Dave Bliss era.

Drew took a philosophical approach to a season that saw him win his first regular-season Big 12 title, reach his first Final Four and deliver the state of Texas’ second national title against the backdrop of COVID-19.

“As a coach you never know when you’re going to be able to get to a Final Four, a national championship, so you want to take advantage of those opportunities,” Drew said. “To me it never defines a great coach just like there’s so many players, NBA players that never won an NBA championship and great college players that never went to a Final Four.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades said he didn’t believe Drew needed a championship or even a Final Four trip to validate his status among the elite coaches.

“I think for most of the coaching profession, those who really know the game, they understand how good of a coach that Scott is,” Rhoades said. “Beyond that tight circle of people — and no disrespect whether its media or fans throughout the country — I hope this really validates for them just how good a coach Scott really is.

“He’s exceptional. When you talk about demanding excellence from your staff and from your players and challenging them and growing them on the floor ... I think Scott is one of the very best in the country.”

Somehow, Drew managed to survive at a power conference school without making a Final Four in his first 17 seasons. Most coaches, like dairy products, have a built-in shelf life.

Rick Barnes was still making NCAA Tournaments at Texas and recruiting top prospects but was let go after 17 seasons. West Virginia’s Bob Huggins has been subjected to impatient fans the last few seasons.

For Rhoades and the Baylor administration, Drew was always their coach.

“It never was an option, never once thought otherwise,” Rhoades said, noting the faith basis of Drew’s program and how he treats players and coaches. “I think the question we asked was how do we get to a Final Four? What do we need to do? How do we take that next step? Let’s figure that out. Let’s have alignment. Let’s go do that.”

Rhoades praised Drew and his staff and players for making it happen.

“Now that really hard part is how we can continue at this same level? How can we have consistency now that we’ve made this step?” Rhoades said. “Certainly that’s an unbelievable challenge when you think about men’s college basketball.”

Rhoades wants Drew to be leading his program for the foreseeable future.

While Baylor is a private school that doesn’t divulge coaches’ contracts, it is believed Drew is working on a long-term deal that takes him past 2027.

Rhoades said the school began talking with Drew about an extension even before the NCAA Tournament.

“What can we do to make sure that Scott feels valued here,” Rhoades said. “Certainly my intent, my hope, is that when Scott retires, he retires as the Baylor men’s basketball coach.”

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