Rutgers is not the same team they have been in the past. They are quick, long, skilled, and can play with anyone in the country. They are now 9-3 after their latest win against Lafayette today and are led by junior guard Geo Baker.
Geo is a crafty guard who competes on a nightly basis. He can take you off the dribble and get by you with a wide array of moves to get a bucket or he can lead his man with a nice direct pass.
Geo Baker is someone you can trust that contributes outside of the box score. Even on off shooting nights, he is doing what he can to help the team get a win. For instance, he was assisting Jacob Young in locking down Justin Jaworski, one of the best shooters in college basketball in the game today.
Against Lafayette, Geo Baker had just 10 points and 2 assists as Rutgers was able to get contributions from everyone who was seeing the court. Myles Johnson, the sophomore center for Rutgers, was absolutely fantastic and dominated on the boards all night. He and Geo Baker connected on a nice alley oop early in the 2nd half today.
Baker shows patience at all times with the ball. Rarely does he force a pass that results in a turnover. Only two times this year has Geo Baker had a game where he turned it over more than three times. That’s what Rutgers needs as they get ready to start Big Ten play in the new year.
Here are some of the buckets that Geo hit in today’s game to show you what he can do:
Geo Baker is having his most efficient season to date. He hasn’t found his shot from deep this year, but he’s shooting above 56% from inside the arc.
He’s a methodical player who waits his turn. Geo makes sure that everyone gets a touch. Yeboah, Johnson, Harper, Mathis, Mulcahy, and McConnell all can contribute on the offensive end. It’s rare that there’s a game where more than two of these names aren’t hitting their shots. That’s why Rutgers hasn’t had one game this year without at least 60 points.
Rutgers has just one final non conference game against Caldwell, a D-II program. Then, they have to begin their conference schedule in arguably the top basketball conference this year. Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana are just some of the schools that have already had fantastic starts to their season and will be fighting for a top spot in the Big Ten. Rutgers proved themselves with huge wins against Wisconsin and Seton Hall recently and should be included in that conversation.
Geo Baker is a big reason for that fact and he seems more than ready to lead this Rutgers team into a solid in conference season in the Big Ten.
