Tag: Geo Baker

The Knight Society set to host NIL fundraiser at Top Golf in July

The Knight Society is having an NIL fundraiser in July for men’s basketball.

Ahead of a season of high expectations, Rutgers men’s basketball will have a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) fundraiser hosted by the Knight Society.

The ‘Scarlet Open’ NIL event will take place on July 28 at the Top Golf in Edison, New Jersey. Last year’s event featured Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell and several former players.

Featured in the event will be current members of the men’s basketball team as well as former star players Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr.

The Knight Society has emerged as an important piece for Rutgers athletics in the NIL space:

“(The) Knight Society is a community organized by former Rutgers Basketball player Geo Baker and former Rutgers Football player Eric LeGrand that supports Rutgers student-athletes through NIL (Name Image Likeness) through brand promotion and events that initiate networking and other promotional opportunities within the Rutgers ecosystem.”

 

Based on last year’s event, the ‘Scarlet Open’ features “teams competing against one another in an elimination-style tournament. Points leaders advanced out of each round until a champion was eventually crowned in the finals.”

Geo Baker responds to Cam Spencer leaving Rutgers basketball: ‘RU didn’t even get a chance to match the offer Cam was getting’

Former Rutgers basketball star Geo Baker details the Cam Spencer situation.

Cam Spencer made a shock move on Friday, entering the transfer portal. Given the importance of Spencer to Rutgers basketball last season, it was a surprise to see the guard ready to make a move.

And, former Rutgers basketball standout Geo Baker said that Spencer’s decision to leave came down to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

In fact Baker, who now heads up an NIL collective the Knight Society, believes that Rutgers didn’t even get a chance to coordinate a match for Spencer’s new NIL deal. On Saturday morning, Baker took to Twitter where he provided a detailed and thorough breakdown of everything going on with Spencer leaving the program.

In his most poignant tweet, Baker outlined what he heard about the NIL situation with Spencer:

“It’s my understanding RU didn’t even get a chance to match the offer Cam was getting. Which, if true, means he didn’t really want to stay anyway. There’s nothing you can do about that. But that doesn’t mean RU basketball is screwed on the NIL front.”

Here are Baker’s relevant tweets as they outline what happened (and didn’t happen) with Spencer as well as what this means for Rutgers on the NIL front:

 

 

 

 

 

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Can the Rutgers Scarlet Knights make it to their third straight NCAA tournament?

The Scarlet Knights are on a mission this year to punch their third straight ticket to the NCAA tournament, but does head coach Steve Pickiell have enough firepower to get them there?

The Scarlet Knights are on a mission this year to punch their third straight ticket to the NCAA tournament, but does head coach Steve Pickiell have enough firepower to get them there? Last year, Pickiell relied on veteran experience from guard / forward Ron Harper Jr. and guard Geo Baker to provide scoring for the Scarlet Knights. Harper Jr. and Baker both averaged double-digit points for Rutgers, Harper averaging almost 16 points per game and Baker averaging a little over 12 points per game. Unfortunately, both of these veteran players moved on from Rutgers, making their positions difficult to replace.

The Rutgers men’s basketball program got extremely lucky this off-season, as none of their rotation players opted to enter the transfer portal. Unlike football, the men’s basketball program has found some success playing in the Big Ten Conference, beating teams like Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan State. With the tip-off of the 2022-23 season just a few days away, it will be interesting to see who Pickiell leans on to carry his team to another NCAA tournament.

Come tip-off on Monday, November 7, 2022 against Columbia University, look for Pickiell to call upon junior center Clifford Omoruyi and senior guard Paul Mulcahy. Last season, Omoruyi led the Scarlet Knights in rebounding owning the paint with roughly 8 rebounds a game. As for Mulcahy, he was a big contributor to Rutgers’ success as he was an excellent vacillator averaging a little more than five assists per game. Going into the 2022-23 season, Mulcahy is going to have to be more of a score-first guard rather than passing it off. Look for Mulcahy’s points per game to increase this season since Baker and Harper are no longer in the lineup. It will be interesting to see who Pickiell’s sixth man will be this year as many returning Scarlet Knights have experience from last season. My guess would be Dean Reiber who averaged 7.5 minutes a game last season. Reiber will be called upon when Omoruyi needs some rest allowing Rutgers to stretch the floor with his ability to shoot the three-ball.

The 2022-23 season is going to be an exciting year for Rutgers basketball as each year the team has shown signs of improvement. Come Monday, November 7, look for Pickiell and the Scarlet Knights to make strides toward their third straight NCAA tournament.

 

Geo Baker likens Rutgers football’s rebuild to Steve Pikiell turning around the basketball program

Former Rutgers men’s basketball star Geo Baker likens the football rebuild to that of the men’s basketball team.

Rutgers football’s Saturday’s 27-10 loss to Iowa was discouraging for many around the program. But according to Geo Baker, this looks and feels like the Rutgers basketball team’s rebuild under head coach Steve Pikiell.

And Rutgers men’s basketball has made the NCAA Tournament the last three two seasons.

There was hope that the rebuilding effort undertaken by Greg Schiano was ready to take the next step and that Saturday’s game against Iowa would be that springboard. But three turnovers, two of which led to defensive touchdowns in the first half, showed that Rutgers isn’t quite there yet in terms of being able to compete with the elite of the Big Ten.

All of which led Baker, who was an integral part of those consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, to provide some perspective on where things stand with the football program:

 

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Following Saturday night’s loss to Iowa, Rutgers football is now 3-1 (0-1 Big Ten). They will face No. 3 Ohio State on the road on Saturday afternoon.

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Baker is currently the founder and CEO of the Knight Society, an “organization aiming to build the Rutgers community while empowering athletes, fans, alumni and businesses.”

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Geo Baker, Taralyn Naslonski awarded Big Ten Medal of Honor

Rutgers men’s basketball player Geo baker receives the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor for his excellence on and off the court

Geo Baker of the men’s basketball team was one of two Rutgers student-athletes who were named recipients of the esteemed Big Ten Medal of Honor.

The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each conference school who have been strong examples both on and off the field throughout their collegiate careers. Started in 1914, the conference’s most exclusive award was the first of its kind in college athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The other Scarlet Knight to receive the award was grad student Taralyn Naslonski of the women’s lacrosse squad.

Big Ten schools currently feature roughly 10,000 student-athletes across all sports, but only 28 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis. In more than 100 years of the Big Ten Medal of Honor being awarded, more than 1,500 student-athletes have earned the distinction.

Men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiell spoke about Baker receiving this distinguished honor in a press release:

“I am so proud of Geo baker for being the Rutgers recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. He is the first men’s basketball player at Rutgers to win the award and my first player to receive this honor. Geo has been an exemplary ambassador for our program on and off the court and it couldn’t have been given to a better person. I am truly grateful to have coached Geo for the past five seasons at Rutgers and he has a bright future in whatever he decides to pursue in his career after college basketball. Geo will forever be a part of the Rutgers basketball family.”

Baker averaged 12.0 points on 39.1 percent shooting and 3.9 assists last season as the men’s basketball team collected the most wins since joining the Big Ten. He finished his career No. 2 all-time in program history in assists with 496, No.5 in three-pointers made with 237, No. 4 in steals with 180, No. 8 in points 1,654, and No. 8 in total field goals made 599. Baker was the first and only men’s basketball Scarlet Knight to earn two Big Ten Player of the Week awards and earned three all-conference selections during his time at the university.

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How to watch: Wisconsin basketball vs. Rutgers

How to watch, listen and stream Wisconsin basketball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

On Saturday afternoon, the No. 14-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Kohl Center for the first time this season.

The Scarlet Knights are a team on the rise in the Big Ten, after upsetting Michigan State and Ohio State in their last two games. A matchup to keep an eye on will be between Rutgers’ second-leading scorer Geo Baker, who exploded for 25 points against Michigan State, and Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn.

If the Badgers can keep the scoring of Baker and Rutgers’ forward Ron Harper Jr. in check, Wisconsin should be in good shape to close out their 20th win of the season with over a month left to play.

Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

When: Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at 5 p.m. CST

Where to watch: FS1

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Lisa Byington
    • Analyst: Brian Butch

Where to stream: Fox Sports App or foxsports.com/live

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app or Sirius Satellite Radio XM 195

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
    • Analyst: Mike Lucas

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

What we learned in Rutgers’ loss to DePaul

Back and forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.

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The Rutgers basketball squad represented the Big Ten in the finale of the Gavitt Games on Thursday Night against DePaul. Rutgers suffered their first loss of the season in this back and forth contest – 73-70 was the final.

After Xavier upset No. 19 Ohio State in the game prior, the Big East already took the Games with four victories, but the Scarlet Knights came up flat in their first loss of the year at the Blue Demons.

“They made some big shots down the stretch, and we made some big ones too,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I liked the looks we got. They made some big plays.”

Rutgers had recently received votes in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. We will have to wit to see how the loss impacted their standings.

Undisciplined play is ultimately what did Rutgers in – they turned the ball over 12 times. “It’s disappointing. we didn’t block out better and we fouled too much in a one-possession game” Pikiell said. “Give them credit, they worked hard and made it tough for us. They were very aggressive. They were averaging 99 points coming into the game. Give them a tip of the hat.”

Back-and-forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.

Two Rutgers players in the top 10 of the ‘The Top 20 Big Ten Hoopers in 20 Days’

Rutgers basketball has two players on the Big Ten Network’s top players of the year.

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The return of Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker for another year at Rutgers is huge for the men’s basketball program, as evidenced by their recent rankings by the Big Ten Network.

As part of their preseason programming, the Big Ten Network is doing a run down of the premier players in the conference. ‘The Top 20 Big Ten Hoopers in 20 Days’ sees Harper in at seventh on the list and Baker at ninth.

It is a big nod for Rutgers and a sign of the respect for the program to place two players within the top 10 of this list. The return of both players makes Rutgers a likely return team to the NCAA Tournament this year.

The Scarlet Knights snapped their three-decade long stretch without an NCAA Tournament last year. Not only did Rutgers go dancing, but they beat Clemson in the opening round and narrowly lost in the next round to Houston, a team that would end up in the Final Four.

Rutgers is just outside the AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll released during preseason. They were picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten in another preseason poll.

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.