Another freshman who made a key impact on the game, Baker was quiet to start but came on strong as things went along and McDevitt fought back into the game. The rookie forward scored all eight of his points in the final quarter and change, adding a competitive spark near the rim on both ends of the floor. Baker plays with a clear court sense, working himself into position for easy buckets around the rim with his strong hands and swift finishing touch. He flashes the ability to attack off the bounce from the perimeter as well, as evidenced by his go-ahead bucket off a drive from the top of the key in the closing minutes. He’s still a bit of a tweener when looking toward the collegiate level but has plenty of time to iron that out given his foundation of size, instincts, and efficient production.

Coming in off the bench to provide a huge spark for the Crusaders, Baker put together an impressive two-way performance while contributing 8 points. The freshman forward was impactful with his size and length around the rim particularly on the defensive end, where he stepped up as a primary rim protector and racked up a handful of blocks in the process. Offensively, he showed soft touch as a finisher around the basket with promising flashes of straight-line skill off the bounce and what looks to be a smooth shooting stroke from the free throw line. It’s too early to speculate on his college level but after cracking our debut 2029 rankings last month, Baker continues to show that he deserves to be on the radar moving forward.