Rutgers landed its first pledge in the Class of 2017 on Friday when Geo Baker committed to coach Steve Pikiell and his staff via Twitter.
The 6-foot-4, 170-pound point guard from Proctor (MA) Academy also considered George Washington, George Mason, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Northeastern and RIce.
“My role is whatever guard position they want me at,” he told SNY.tv. “They believe that I’m interchangeable due to my abilities to see the floor but also score when needed plus with my length I can guard multiple positions.”
DC Blue Devils (N.H.) coach T.J. Thompson said Baker can multiple roles for Rutgers.
“Geo is a special talent,” he said. “Even as a young kid he has always had an innate sense for the game, something you cannot teach. His court vision and basketball IQ is one of the best I have ever seen. He will bring leadership and an extraordinary work ethic to the Rutgers program.
“His skill set gives him the unique ability to create scoring opportunities not only for himself but for his teammates as well, making him very difficult to defend. Not only is he a knock down shooter but a gifted passer. He has never been afraid to step up in tough situations and won’t back down from anyone. Defensively, he has the ability to guard multiple positions. He is smart and uses his length and athletic ability to his advantage.”
Baker visited Rutgers in June.
“[The visit] was great,” Baker told SNY.tv by phone then. “The campus was huge. There’s like five campuses, so I got to see two of them. The gym was really big, the coaches were really positive.”
Baker was especially impressed by the renovation plans for the RAC and the basketball facilities.
“I actually got to see the blueprints of the new practice facilities,” he said. “There’s going to be two courts, one for the boys’ side, one for the girls’ side. They’re completely renovating the weight room. They’re making it a lot bigger. They’re going to have a whole new film room and it just looks great.”
Baker said he was told the renovation is an “18-month process.”
In 2017, Rutgers was also prioritizing Christ the King and NY Rens point guard Jose Alvarado, Commonwealth (MA) Academy and PSA Cardinals forward Hasahn French and Makhtar Gueye, a 6-9 forward from Winchendon (MA) Academy and Mass Rivals.
Soruces said Rutgers is still recruiting Alvarado and Gueye, while French cut his list to 13 on Friday and did not include Rutgers.
