Geo Baker taking aim at NCAA Tournament in 2020-21
Rutgers was close.
The Scarlet Knights' men's basketball team was days away from breaking a 29-year drought of not making the NCAA Tournament. Well, now it's 30 thanks to COVID-19.
Rutgers was getting set to play Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament when head coach Steve Pikiell got a message and broke the news to the players that it was cancelled. Then, the "Big Dance" was cancelled, and March Madness turned into March Sadness.
Pikiell told TKR shortly after that his guys were "crushed".
Point guard Geo Baker, just days earlier, had lifted Rutgers to one of its biggest wins in recent memory with a dagger jump shot on the road late in the game to down Purdue. The captain and leader helped give his team a much needed victory away from the RAC, where Rutgers went 18-1.
Baker, a Third Team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, is itching to get back on the court heading into his senior campaign, whenever it takes place
"They really canceled March on me," Baker said recently on Instagram," but it’s a marathon not a sprint. Wait for what's next."
Last season, he averaged 10.9 points per game and led the way in assists with 98 and steals with 31. Many times, he came up clutch with the game on the line, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to beat Nebraska, and scoring 23 points after halftime and draining the tying triple with 1:15 left in regulation.
Baker shot 60% (12-of-20) in "clutch moments" which is defined as a two possession game with under two minutes to go and all of overtime.
Not bad for a three-star recruit from Derry, N.H. that that had over 400 players ranked ahead of him in the Class of 2017 coming out of Proctor Academy.
"Everyone has a role on this team and my role is to get the ball at the end of the game and make a play. I'm very comfortable in that role, win or lose. I want that. I want the ball at the end of the game," Baker said according to ScarletKnights.com after the win at Purdue.
NCAA.com's Andy Katz, who also provides content for BTN, just named Baker in his top 10 of returners in college basketball for 2020-21. Baker was No. 9 on his "KatzRankz" and said this on his Madness 365 Podcast: “Geo Baker was money when the games were on the line for the Scarlet Knights. A tremendous leader - should have led Rutgers to the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since ‘91. He will this season.”
Even more he committed to Rutgers on July 27, 2016, Baker had his haters and doubters. His chip on his shoulder is bigger than ever.
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