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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