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Geo Baker
Baker with Rutgers in 2022
Personal information
Born (1998-07-21) July 21, 1998 (age 26)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeRutgers (2017–2022)
PositionPoint guard
Number0
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Third-team All-Big Ten – Coaches (2020, 2022)

Geordano "Geo" Baker-Occeus (born July 21, 1998) is an American former college basketball player for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights of the Big Ten Conference.

Early life

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Baker began playing basketball at age seven under the guidance of his mother, a former college player. In eighth grade, he played varsity basketball for Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, standing 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and weighing 90 lbs (41 kg).[1] At age 15, he grew about six inches to reach a height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m).[2] For his sophomore season, Baker moved to Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire to be closer to home. He averaged 14.2 points and eight assists per game, leading his team to the New Hampshire Division 1 title game. After drawing NCAA Division I interest, Baker transferred to Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire.[1] As a junior, he averaged 18 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, earning New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) All-Class AA honors.[3][4] In his senior season, Baker was named to the First Team NEPSAC Class AA All-New England. He played Amateur Athletic Union basketball for the DC Blue Devils, who did not compete at any major circuits.[3] In high school, Baker also played soccer, which was the first sport he took interest in.[5]

Baker was a consensus three-star recruit and was considered the third-best player from New Hampshire in the 2017 class by the New England Recruiting Report.[4] His only high major NCAA Division I offers came from Rutgers and Kansas State.[6] On July 27, 2016, following his junior season, Baker committed to play college basketball for Rutgers.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Geo Baker
PG 		Derry, NH Proctor Academy (NH) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: —  247Sports: —  ESPN: —
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rutgers 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  • "2017 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.

College career

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Baker with Rutgers in 2020

As a freshman, Baker was a regular starter for Rutgers, joining Corey Sanders in the backcourt.[8] On November 21, 2017, he scored a career-high 29 points, shooting 7–of–10 from three-point range, in an 83–54 win over Bryant. He recorded the most single-game points and three-pointers by a Rutgers freshman since Todd Billet in 2000.[9] On December 9, Baker posted his first double-double with 19 points and 11 assists in a 92–54 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson.[8] In his freshman season, he averaged 10.9 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game and was named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Rookie of the Year.[10]

As a sophomore, Baker averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, and ranked second in the Big Ten with 1.6 steals per game. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention and a Third Team All-Met selection.[4] Baker missed three games in January 2020 with a thumb injury.[11] On January 25, 2020, in his junior season, Baker made a game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining to help defeat Nebraska, 75–72.[12] On February 9, he scored a season-high 25 points, 23 of which came after halftime, along with six rebounds and five assists in a 77–73 overtime victory over Northwestern.[13] As a junior, Baker averaged 10.9 points, 3.5 assists and three rebounds per game, earning Third Team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and First Team All-Met.[4]

In Baker's senior season debut on November 25, 2020, he sprained his ankle in a win over Sacred Heart and was ruled out for several games.[14] Baker was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten by the coaches.[15]

Post-playing career

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In May 2022, Baker announced that he was retiring from basketball to work on a full time NFT Technology project with another former Rutgers athlete Eric LeGrand. The project, called "Knight Society" aims to connect Rutgers alumni, students, and athletes. In an interview with NJ.com, Baker that "It wasn't a quick decision...This was something I thought about for a while. I found a new passion, and one thing that COVID-19 taught me is, you do what you love."[16]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Rutgers 33 29 31.6 .380 .361 .785 2.2 2.6 1.1 .4 10.8
2018–19 Rutgers 31 30 34.0 .354 .341 .741 3.1 4.1 1.6 .5 12.2
2019–20 Rutgers 28 19 28.9 .399 .280 .772 3.0 3.5 1.1 .6 10.9
2020–21 Rutgers 25 22 31.2 .409 .303 .750 3.1 3.2 1.2 .4 10.4
2021–22 Rutgers 28 27 34.4 .398 .331 .741 2.1 3.9 1.2 .4 12.6
Career 145 127 32.1 .386 .326 .758 2.7 3.4 1.2 .5 11.4

Personal life

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Baker's mother, Irene, was the women's basketball team captain at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1990s.[5] His father, who Baker does not have a close relationship with, played professional soccer.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Muldoon, Michael (August 8, 2016). "Rutgers-bound: Baker-Occeus now plenty big enough". Derry News. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Vesely, Gillian (September 28, 2015). "Geo Baker: Smooth shot with a will to win". The Left Bench. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cordova, David (February 21, 2019). "Geo Baker: A Floor General From New Hampshire Directs Traffic for Scarlet Knights". Dave's Joint. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Geo Baker". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Sargeant, Keith (November 5, 2018). "Rutgers guard Geo Baker competes to win whether it's soccer, ping pong or hoops". NJ.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Newman, Josh (November 10, 2018). "Rutgers hoops: Geo Baker's turn at point guard begins in rout of Fairleigh Dickinson". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Breitman, Aaron (July 27, 2016). "Commit Alert: Rutgers Basketball Lands Combo Guard Geo Baker". On the Banks. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Carino, Jerry (December 9, 2017). "Why Geo Baker and Corey Sanders are thriving together in the backcourt". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  9. ^ "Baker Bursts-Out in 83-54 Victory over Bryant". Rutgers University Athletics. November 21, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  10. ^ DeCeglie, Matthew (February 25, 2020). "Baker provides consistency and leadership for Rutgers". The Daily Targum. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  11. ^ "Rutgers' Geo Baker out indefinitely because of thumb injury". USA Today. Associated Press. January 3, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Sargeant, Keith (January 25, 2020). "Geo Baker's 3-pointer lifts Rutgers to Big Ten thriller over Nebraska. 'In moments like this, Geo is always Geo'". NJ.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Merrill, Steven (February 9, 2020). "The Geo Baker show powers Rutgers over Northwestern". 247Sports. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Fonseca, Brian (November 27, 2020). "Rutgers' Steve Pikiell gives update on Geo Baker's injury How much time will he miss?". NJ.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Politi, Steve (May 25, 2022). "Why Geo Baker is giving up basketball for a new passion at Rutgers". NJ.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
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