Tag: Will Baker

LSU guard Cam Hayes enters transfer portal

Hayes becomes the seventh LSU player to enter the portal since the end of the season.

The turnover within the LSU basketball program continued on Friday.

Shortly after the Tigers landed a commitment from Nevada center transfer [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], guard [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] became the seventh player to enter the portal since the end of coach Matt McMahon’s first season.

A transfer addition last offseason from NC State, Hayes appeared in 31 games and made 18 starts. He averaged 8.1 points and 2.3 assists, but he shot just 40% from the field.

It was the best season of Hayes’ college career statistically, but he struggled with inconsistency. Still, he finished in double figures scoring in 12 games during his lone season in Baton Rouge.

McMahon had to undergo a heavy rebuild when he took this job last offseason, and now it seems he’ll have to do so once again as he prepares to enter his second season at the helm. Luckily, the Tigers have already picked up a pair of wing transfers in [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] from Vanderbilt and [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] from Tulane, who returns to LSU after signing with the Tigers out of high school.

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LSU basketball lands transfer commitment from Nevada big man Will Baker

The Tigers have found a replacement for KJ Williams.

LSU has added yet another piece in the transfer portal heading into coach Matt McMahon’s second season.

On Friday, Nevada center [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] pledged to the Tigers. A 7-footer from Austin, Texas, who began his career with the nearby Longhorns, Baker started 49 of 53 games over the last two years for the Wolf Pack. As a redshirt junior in 2022-23, he averaged 14.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein first reported the news of Baker’s commitment.

Baker brings NCAA tournament experience to the table after leading Nevada to the postseason this year. Baker had 17 points and six rebounds in an opening-round loss to Arizona State.

Baker was one of the top available players in the transfer portal this cycle, and he’ll provide a replacement for [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], who is departing for the NBA draft after exhausting his college eligibility. He becomes the third transfer to commit to LSU this offseason, joining [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] from Vanderbilt and [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] from Tulane, the latter of which began his career at LSU.

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LSU hosting former All-Mountain West big-man from Nevada for visit

Will Baker started all 32 games for the Wolf Pack in 2022-23.

With six players departing via the transfer portal after a tough first season for [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], LSU has been understandably active in the transfer portal this cycle.

The Tigers have already picked up two commitments, and according to On3, they’ll be hosting former Nevada center [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag]. A four-star prospect and top-40 recruit from Austin, Texas, Baker originally signed with the Longhorns.

After playing in 23 games as a true freshman, he left for Nevada as a midyear transfer in 2021 and took a redshirt year. He became a regular starter over the last two seasons, and he played and started in 32 games this season.

The 7-footer averaged 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists and was a third-team All-Mountain West selection.

The Tigers need a lot of help this offseason, but landing an experienced big man like Baker in addition to a talented guard and wing in [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] would be a good start.

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Texas Basketball: Center Will Baker announces his transfer destination

Texas Longhorns center/forward Will Baker has announced his transfer location. He has committed to play for the Nevada Wolfpack.

Earlier this year, sophomore center/forward Will Baker announced that he would enter into the transfer portal and pursue other options. He played a reserve role last season for the Longhorns.

Baker averaged 8.4 minutes per game in 23 games in the 2019-20 basketball season. He also averaged 2.1 points per game and 1.9 total rebounds. The lefty had a career-high 20 points against Texas Christian back in February. Baker also snagged a career-high seven rebounds against Iowa State that month.

On Twitter, Will Baker announced that he would continue his collegiate career out west in Nevada. He will now play for the Nevada Wolfpack. Baker hadn’t appeared in a game in the 2020-21 season thus far.

The Austin native now travels to Reno to play for former Dallas Maverick Steve Alford. The Wolfpack is currently 7-3 and 2-1 in conference play. They now get to add a big man to their rotation who has shown some ability to be a threat from outside the arc. The move will likely allow him to get a lot more minutes than he would for Shaka Smart.

The Longhorns prepare to play the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas.

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Texas Basketball: Three Takeaways From Winning Streak

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team suddenly has life as they chase an opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament.

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team has been on a roll as of late. The team led by Shaka Smart was coming off four-straight losses including a 29-point embarrassing blowout from Iowa State. It was looking like they might not win another game this season with out how the team was playing. Smart needed a spark to save the season and his job, what was once hopeless suddenly has life.

Unlikely Heroes

Will Baker. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Baker step up against the TCU Horned Frogs, after all he was a top five recruit in the state and a four-star prospect. After averaging just two points a game this year, Baker exploded for 20 points. He was the second-leading scorer in that game nailing four of six three pointers. After the game it felt like Smart was trolling the faithful dropping a John Beilein reference about Baker’s play.

“A shooting five man changes the world”- Shaka Smart on Will Baker’s performance

Backcourt Help

Baker isn’t the only one that has stepped up, Andrew Jones has really made his presence felt on the offensive side of the ball. Jones has absolute caught fire from behind the arc shooting 57.8 percent. It certainly feels like he is becoming the old Andrew Jones once again after a fight with Leukemia. Averaging 18.3 points per game during the streak has been a huge lift for this team.

In the team’s last two wins, Courtney Ramey has really stepped up his game to help Texas win three in a row. Scoring a combined 47 points over the last two wins, he led the team in scoring against Kansas State and second to Jones against West Virginia. His performances have breathed life into a team that was appearing to just be going through the motions.

Big 12 Teams Around Them

Texas was sitting at 4-8 in the conference before jumping up into a tie with the Mountaineers for that fourth spot in the conference. The Longhorns are looking more like they could squeak into the big dance. It wasn’t all the Longhorns play, teams who were above them have started to falter.

TCU who started out 3-0 in conference play, has fallen flat on their face as the season has gone on. Since that point they are 3-8, up until this week the Frogs had been projected over Texas in most major Bracketology projections. The Longhorns also getting some help from their bitter rivals.

The Oklahoma Sooners were also a team that many felt that would be a lock for the tournament, but they have fallen on hard times as of late. Losers of their last three games has put Texas ahead of them in the standings and has given the Longhorns hope once again.

 

Will Baker and Andrew Jones Lead Longhorns To Victory

Will Baker and Andrew Jones combined for 41 points as they led the Texas Longhorns to victory over TCU for the season sweep.

It was all Will Baker early on in this game against the TCU Horned Frogs, Baker had scored just 16 points all season before Wednesday night. Baker came to play with Jase Febres and Jericho Sims still out for the Longhorns. He finished the game with a season-high 20 points.

The Longhorns fell behind at halftime 38-36 but a strong second half helped lead the Longhorns to a season sweep of TCU. Texas outscored the Frogs by 16 in the second half for the win, down the stretch Andrew Jones took over as the go to option. Jones finished with a game-high 21 points.

The big story in this game was the bench play from Baker and Kai Jones. The duo combined for 30 points, with Jones providing 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks to give the Longhorns a presence in the paint.

As has been the case for Texas all year, live by the three and die by the three. The Longhorns shot 60 percent from behind the arc and they limited the Frogs to just three of 18 from deep. Baker hit four of six and Jones added three of five to lead the team.

Texas has just five games left on the season with Kansas State coming up on Saturday as they look to sweep the Wildcats.