Baker turns playmaker to earn starts

Saturday, Nov. 26 \| 6 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	BENEDICTINE REDHAWKS (2-2)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (4-2)

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When Josh Baker entered the transfer portal seven months ago, he did not have any stipulations about his next program except that it be Grand Canyon.

Leaving Las Vegas, Baker wanted to wind up with GCU and asked for nothing else from the Lopes but a chance. The Phoenix native believed he would earn the rest, and the Lopes guard flourished under a coaching staff that infused him with confidence and a starting role.

Baker

Baker will start his fourth consecutive game on Saturday night, when the Lopes face Benedictine Mesa as a replacement for the Pepperdine game that was postponed to Dec. 17 due to health and safety protocols in the Waves program.

Baker started at UNLV last season before he missed two weeks because of concussion protocol and returned to a bench role, averaging 8.5 minutes over his final eight appearances.

In three GCU starts, Baker is averaging 10.0 points and 2.7 assists with 6-for-13 shooting on 3-pointers. He scored a career-high 13 points in Tuesday's win against Northern Iowa, giving him three of his career's top four scoring games in his first month at GCU.

"I have more of Josh Baker

a chip on my shoulder at this point and an understanding of college basketball," said Baker, a Tempe McClintock High School graduate. "If something is taken for granted, it can be stripped away. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything I possibly can to stay on the floor and be available to help my team."

Baker has done that, showing himself to be a versatile 6-foot-4 guard who can handle, distribute, create, drive and shoot. But in a perennially strong defensive program under head coach Bryce Drew, Baker's ability to guard multiple positions with a long wingspan is standing out.

When GCU lost at Nevada, Baker was unable to play because of illness. In Tuesday's win against Northern Iowa, Baker defended its leading scorer, Bowen Born, who scored seven points when GCU led 41-27 at halftime.

"He did a really good job on him," Drew said of Baker. "That's what would have helped us earlier at Nevada. (Kenan) Blackshear got 20 points against us and that would have been who Bake was guarding."

Baker was able to spend Thanksgiving with family and eat his mother's ham and mac-and-cheese for the first time in his college years. But each game at GCU Arena makes it a fulfilling move with his mother, two of his siblings, nephews, a niece and cousins attending games, along with a group of his mother's friends who bought tickets.

"It's amazing," Baker said of home games. "I can't lie and say I don't have butterflies before the game. The standard has been broken. It's past what they were telling me about here. The fan base, the Havocs, and it's even better that it's my home. I've played big games, but having that for an every game atmosphere is amazing."

His family and friends are seeing a more confident version of Baker. He is shooting 45% from the field and 42% on 3-pointers, with a 10-point average over the past four games.

Baker embraces a role as a facilitator alongside fellow Lopes guards Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Ray Harrison. As fellow transfers, he and Harrison have looked out for each other since the summer. Harrison delivered food to an ailing Baker, and Baker feeds Harrison on the court.

"The coaches have given me the confidence to let me know that they need me to be who I am in order for us to reach what we can be out there," Baker said. "They've given me the freedom to make mistakes being aggressive and figure it out as I go."
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 9: Grand Canyon University menâ??s basketball beats San Diego Christian 101-50 (Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo/GCU)

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 9: Grand Canyon University menâ??s basketball beats San Diego Christian 101-50 (Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo/GCU)

Saturday, Nov. 26 | 6 p.m. | GCU Arena | Phoenix, Ariz.

Players Mentioned

Josh Baker

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Ray Harrison

Grand Canyon University Athletics