On Rutgers’ All-Time Lists:
Accolades:
2021-22
• Honored as Third-team All Big Ten for the 2021-22 season.
• Won Co-Big Ten Player of the Week after 41 combined points in the wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin
• In five seasons at Rutgers (2017-22) has played in 143 games with 126 starts
• In that time, he has averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals, shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point distance.
• Had 27 points versus Michigan, 25 points and seven three-pointers made against Minnesota, the most three pointers for an RU player against a Big Ten opponent in school history and 25 points against Ohio State.
• Missed four games this season due to injury (hamstring/flu) prior to return against Seton Hall.
• Three-time All-Big Ten, three-time All-Met selection and three-time Academic All-Big Ten
2020-21:
- Second Team All-Met and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection
- Bob Cousy Award Watch List (award recognizes top point guard in the nation)
- Preseason All-Big Ten (first Scarlet Knight to earn preseason all-conference accolades since 2004-05)
- Senior CLASS Award candidate
- Big Ten All-Academic honoree
2019-20:
- Third Team All-Big Ten and First Team All-Met selection (first Scarlet Knight to be named to first team since 2006 (Quincy Douby)
- Big Ten All-Academic honoree
2018-19:
- Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and Third Team All-Met selection
- Big Ten All-Academic honoree
2017-18:
- 2017-18 Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Rookie of the Year
Year-By-Year Breakdown:
2021-22
- Announced intention to return to Rutgers for one additional season of eligibility
- Posted 19 points in win over NJIT
- Missed four games this season due to injury (hamstring/flu) prior to return against Seton Hall.
- Had season-high 27 points to lead Rutgers in first ever victory over Michigan
- Led team with 25 points on seven made three-pointers at Minnesota
- Posted 25 points to lead team in win over No. 16 Ohio State, making game-winning free throws in final seconds
- Scored 16 points in road win at No. 14 Wisconsin
- Following performances in ranked wins over No. 16 Ohio State and at No. 14 Wisconsin, was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, his second time in his career winning the award.
- Scored 23 points in Big Ten Tournament against Iowa
2020-21 (Senior):
- Entered season as No. 9 ranked returning player in the nation by Andy Katz
- Played in 25 games (22 starts) as team captain, leading Rutgers to first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years and first NCAA Tournament victory in 38 years
- Averaged 10.4 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds with 30 steals, shooting career-best 40.9 percent from field and 30.3 percent from three-point distance
- In Big Ten only games, averaged 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists
- Second on team in minutes (31.2), third on team in scoring average and assists
- Posted double-digits in 14 games
- Had seven games with at least five assists, with season-high of 10 versus Indiana
- Posted 19 points to lead team in victory at Indiana (Jan. 24)
- Recorded 20 points and 10 assists on Senior Night win against Indiana (Feb. 24), becoming RU's first ever Big Ten Player of the Week
- Tied for leading scorer with 13 points in win over Clemson in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament (Mar. 19)
- Led the team with 14 points in the NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup against Houston (Mar. 21)
2019-20 (Junior):
- Averaged 10.9 points per game and had team-highs in assists (98) and steals (31) while shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 77.2 percent from the free throw line
- In Big Ten conference games, averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 39.4 percent from the field
- Starting point guard in 19 games and averaged team-high 28.9 minutes
- Ranked seventh in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and ninth in assists (3.5), 10th in steals (1.1)
- Assist-to-turnover ratio was 75th in the nation
- Scored in double figures 16 times this season, including seven of the final eight regular season games, and had three games of at least 20 points
- Set season high with 25 points against Northwestern (Feb. 9) and had 22 points against Wisconsin (Dec. 11) and Niagara (Nov. 10)
- Had nine games of at least five assists, with season high of seven in win over No. 22 Illinois
- Provided a number of crucial late game performances to propel Scarlet Knights to victory, including game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in win over Nebraska (Jan. 25), 23 points after halftime in overtime win over Northwestern (Feb. 9), including three-pointer to tie game with 1:15 remaining in regulation, and 16 points after halftime in overtime win at Purdue (March 7), with game-sealing shot with 11 seconds remaining
2018-19 (Sophomore):
- Starter at point guard in all 31 games
- Led team with 126 assists and 51 steals
- Averaged 12.2 points (second on team) and 3.1 rebounds
- Had 22 games scoring in double-digits, including 14 against Big Ten foes
- Reached 20 points three times (Versus Drexel, Eastern Michigan and at Penn State)
- Had 12 games with at least five assists
- Finished the regular season second in the Big Ten in steals (1.6 spg) fifth in assists (4.1 apg) and eighth in minutes (34.0 mpg)
2017-18 (Freshman):
- Started 29 of 33 games at guard
- Averaged 10.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game with 57 assists and 35 steals
- Had 20 double-digit scoring games, including 11 in 17 contests versus Big Ten foes
- Averaged 13.1 points in eight games against ranked opponents
- Among Big Ten freshmen, ranked 1st in minutes (31.6), 3rd in assists (2.6), 4th in 3-point FG% (35.5), 5th in scoring (10.8), 5th in steals (1.1), 8th in FG% (38.0)
- Averaged 14.3 points in three Big Ten Tournament games at Madison Square Garden, including 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting versus No. 8 Purdue in the quarterfinals.
- Had 17 points, four rebounds, one steal and one block in win over No. 15 Seton Hall (Dec. 16) to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Dec. 18) honors
- Scored 12 points with three assists and three blocks at No. 12 Minnesota (Dec. 3) in Big Ten debut
- Scored a season-high 29 points, making seven three-pointers (most in a game by a Rutgers freshman since 2000), and had three steals and two blocks in win over Bryant (Nov. 21)
Scholastic:
- A 2017 graduate of Proctor Academy in Andover, N.H., where he served as a team captain under head coach Gregor Makechnie
- 2017 First Team NEPSAC Class AA All-New England selection
- Received High Honors academic recognition as a junior and senior
- Competed on the AAU circuit for the DC Blue Devils New Hampshire, where he was coached by T.J. Thompson, who played at George Washington under Karl Hobbs and Steve Pikiell
- Was an all-tournament selection at the Pitt Jam Fest, Providence Jam Fest and the Zero Gravity Nationals
- Averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds-per-game as a junior to earn Second Team New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) All-Class AA Honors
- Ranked No. 11 overall in New England and the No. 3 player in New Hampshire for 2017 by The New England Recruiting Report
- Rated a three-star recruit by ESPN
- Also played varsity soccer
Personal:
- Given name is Geordano
- Major is Human Resources Management
- Started playing basketball with his next door neighbor at the age of seven
- Mother, Irene Baker, played basketball at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Chose the Scarlet Knights over reported offers from Kansas State, George Washington and George Mason, among others
Feature:
Geo Baker: Rising Star |
2019-20 Photo Gallery |
BTN The Journey
Know Your Knights: Geo Baker
One word to describe Coach Pikiell: Intense
Best friend(s) on another collegiate team: Wabissa Bede (Virginia Tech), Caleb Green (Holy Cross) and Tshiefu Ngalakulondi (St. Bonaventure)
Best player ever faced: Bruce Brown (Miami)
Favorite place to hang out on campus: The RAC
If I wasn’t playing basketball, I’d be: Playing soccer
Favorite professional athlete: Steph Curry
Favorite professional sports team: Golden State Warriors
The person I most admire is: My mother
One word to describe myself on the court: Intense
One word to describe myself off the court: Relaxed
Few people know that I…: Am good at ping pong
Person who had greatest influence on my athletics career: T.J. Thompson
I chose Rutgers because…: I loved the atmosphere
I selected my jersey # (0) because…: It’s the number I wore in high school
Favorite cereal: Fruity Pebbles
Favorite movie: The Town
The best actor to play me in a movie is…: Ice Cube
Favorite musician/group: Drake
Famous people I have met include…: LeBron James
Rituals I have before, during or after a game are…: Listen to music
Favorite all-time Christmas/holiday present: Nintendo GameCube
If I didn’t have to sleep, I would do this with my extra time…: Play basketball
If I could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, I would have a good chance at winning medal at…: Sarcasm
The website I visit most often is…: Youtube
If my life was a book, the title would be…: Underrated
