Senior guard Geo Baker, the face of the Rutgers basketball program who led the Scarlet Knights to their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years, announced on Wednesday that he will enter his name in the 2021 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility, leaving the door open to a return to Piscataway next season.
He joins teammate Ron Harper Jr., who declared for the NBA Draft last week.
The NBA Combine takes place from Monday, June 21 to Sunday, June 27. Early entrants like Harper have until Monday, July 19, to pull their name out of consideration. The 2021 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, July 29.
Baker ranks fifth all-time in program history in assists (376+), seventh in 3-pointers (183+), eighth in steals (145+) and 20th in points (1,269+) after becoming the Scarlet Knights’ 44th 1,000 point scorer. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals across a 117-game career.
Baker averaged 10.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals during his senior season after recovering from a high ankle sprain he sustained in a season-opening win over Sacred Heart.
Baker seemed like a player ready to end his college career throughout his senior season. He is a vocal critic of the NCAA, most recently starting the #NotNCAAProperty hashtag days before the NCAA Tournament began. He already played four years of college basketball — and attended four years of college classes — so a professional career can be an attractive option, especially after he did what he set out to do in Piscataway. Baker’s legacy was cemented, the leader of the group that took Rutgers basketball out of irrelevance and back into March Madness who hit clutch shot after clutch shot throughout his career.
But in the podium following his team’s devastating loss to the Cougars, Baker left the door open for his return.
“I’ve always wanted my legacy to be a winner,” he said. “I don’t really know where that stands right now, to be honest with you. That is just what I always felt like I am, a winner. That is just what I want to be known for.”
On Monday, three weeks after the fourth season of his college career came to a close in heartbreaking fashion, he announced his next step while leaving the door open for a return, potentially taking advantage of the free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA prior to the current coronavirus-impacted campaign to give it one last season in Piscataway.
Rutgers’ roster makeup following Baker’s decision:
Juniors – Caleb McConnell (G/F)
Sophomores – Paul Mulcahy (G), Daniel Lobach (F)
Freshmen – Dean Reiber (F), Oskar Palmquist (F), Mawot Mag (F), Cliff Omoruyi (F), Jaden Jones (G), Jalen Miller (G)
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.