LSU announces the addition of transfer Will Baker
Will Baker, a seven-foot forward from Austin, Texas, has officially transferred to LSU to join Head Coach Matt McMahon and the Tiger basketball program for the 2023-24 season.
Baker, who will be a redshirt senior, comes to LSU after two stellar seasons at the University of Nevada, following a freshman campaign in his home town of Austin at the University of Texas.
LSU gets a talented big man from the portal
This past season, Baker averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, shooting 56.0 percent from the floor (159-of-284) 35.5 percent from distance and 86.2 percent from the free throw line (96-of-114).
His overall field goal percentage was the eighth best in Nevada basketball history. In Mountain West Conference play, he made 58.5 percent from the field (100-of-171). He posted 22 double figure games this past season.
“We are excited to welcome Will Baker to LSU,” said Coach McMahon. “Coming off his all-conference season in the Mountain West, we are looking forward to him making an immediate impact on our program. At 7-0, we love his skill level and his feel for the game in the post. We were also impressed with his three-point shooting over the last two years (38.1 percent) and his impact on winning. I can’t wait to coach him in Baton Rouge.”
Baker’s time at Texas, Nebraska
During the 2021-22 season at Nevada, he averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds, again posting a strong field goal percentage of 54.6 percent. Baker posted double figures in 15-of-18 MWC games.
As a freshman, he averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds at Texas and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team.
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Baker attended Austin, Texas Westlake High School and was the No. 28 player nationally in the Rivals recruiting rankings in the 2018-19 season, No. 36 by 247sports and No. 37 by ESPN. He averaged 24.7 points and 12.8 rebounds as Westlake advanced to the 2019 Class 6A regional semifinals.
As a high school junior, his averages were 19.4 points and 8.6 rebounds as Westlake advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals. His team won three consecutive District 25-6A titles.
Baker was named the Central Texas Player of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman in 2018 and 2019.
Baker joins Louisiana native and Vanderbilt Commodore transfer Jordan Wright and Tulane transfer Jalen Cook (Walker, Louisiana) as new members of the Tiger team for 2023-24 along with fall high school signees Corey Chest (Link Academy-Branson, Missouri) from New Orleans and Mike Williams (Bishop Walsh High School) from Baltimore, Maryland.
Note: This is a press release from LSUSports.net
