College Commitment: Kevin Baker (2017 Kentlake HS/Green River CC)
Kevin Baker was arguably the most highly recruited player in the NWAC this season. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound native of Kent put up some serious numbers this past year at Green River Community College and his versatility on the basketball floor earned him offers from a whole host of Division II schools. At first Baker thought he would head to Southern California for the next step of his college career but instead, he chose to stay closer to home having signed with Central Washington.
“I was looking at Point Loma – that was my number one choice for a long time,” Baker said. “But then I started watching how they play and the offense that they run and they were really post oriented. Last time I played in an offense like that I felt really limited and my stats weren’t as they should be.”
“At Green River, I’ve been able to play more free,” Baker continued. “So I started looking at all the offenses of the colleges that had offered me and talking to the coaches and Central seemed like they would let me play the most free and I feel like I would fit within their offense. I felt like I wouldn’t be limited at Central.”
Also playing a factor in Baker’s decision was the fact he had a good relationship with the Central Washington coaching staff. Idaho had also been in contact – and actually wanted to bring him on campus for an official visit after he had signed with CWU – but it really came down to Central Washington and Point Loma. While getting the opportunity to play college hoops in a place as scenic as where Point Loma is located, Baker found the locale where CWU is more fit his goals.
“Another thing was I get distracted really easily,” Baker said. “In San Diego, I feel like it would be really easy to get distracted but in Ellensburg where there’s not much to do, you just have to focus on basketball. So I thought mentally it would just be a better place for me to go.”
This past season at Green River, Baker averaged 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range on his way to earning Western Region MVP honors. He’s working hard this off-season to prepare for the next two years at CWU.
“I want to tighten up my handles – they’ve been pretty loose at times,” Baker said. “And also being low on everything that I do, whether its defense or dribbling. Just making sure that I’m low instead of standing straight up because I had a tendency to do that a lot this year.”