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Duke legend Jay Williams praises historic Rachel Baker hire, believes others will follow

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•06/08/22•

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Robin Alam | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Duke basketball and new head coach Jon Scheyer made a groundbeaking decision this week when they hired former Nike executive Rachel Baker as their first ever general manager.

In the new era of college athletics, expertise in the NIL space could be a game changer. With Scheyer taking the reins in Durham, this move sets the tone for how his program will do business moving forward. For former Blue Devil Jay Williams, he thinks Baker’s hire gives his alma mater a step ahead in college athletics.

Baker spent nine years with Nike and the NBA. With her work with both brands, she will now focus her efforts to help Duke transition in the post-Mike Krzyzewski years as well as into the growing world of NIL.

Scheyer’s first two recruiting classes already rank first (2022) and second (2023) in On3’s Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. With this addition, Baker’s expertise could end up being a major selling point for the Blue Devils on the recruiting trail.

Duke hires former Nike executive Rachel Baker as GM

The Blue Devils hired Rachel Baker, a former Nike executive, to be the program’s general manger, the program announced Tuesday. Baker spent eight years at Nike leading the Elite Youth Basketball event strategy. She also worked with the company’s WNBA and NBA athlete integration. Among her responsibilities is helping athletes with NIL as it becomes a big part of the college athletics landscape.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Jon Scheyer and the entire Duke Basketball family,” Baker said in a statement. “We’re in the middle of such a transformative moment — not only for Duke, but for the college basketball landscape — and the chance to be part of it is the opportunity of a lifetime. Duke Basketball has remaiend rooted in honoring our storied history while writing the future of the game. I am humbled and honored to join this tradition and can’t wait to get started.”

Scheyer is prepping for his first season as Duke’s head coach. Now, hiring Baker helps move the program toward the future of college basketball.

“The state of college basketball is growing and changing at an exponential rate,” Scheyer said in a statement. “Rachel is a one-of-a-kind talent with unique experience that will provide our players and their families with an unparalleled resource and partner.”

As he gets ready for the 2022-23 season, Scheyer has a talented recruiting class coming in. Duke brought in the No. 1 group in the country this year, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

“Through her work in the NBA and Nike, she brings nearly a decade of expertise in the business of basketball to our staff. She also brings her gifts in relationship and community building, leadership development, and experiential marketing. We can’t wait to see all she brings to our program in this newly-created position.”