Bryant Lands Baker Jr.
Bryant University scooped up what might have been New England's biggest sleeper, rougly six weeks before the July evaluation was set to kick-off.
Vincent Baker Jr., a six-foot-seven forward from Old Saybrook High School in Connecticut, committed to the Bulldogs on Monday night.
Baker, the son and namesake of the former NBA All-Star who first starred at the University of Hartford before playing for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics among others, has been playing for his father on the AAU trail this spring with the Connecticut Playmakers and was one of the standouts at last month's Northeast Hoops Festival.
This wasn't the first time we've seen Baker Jr. in action, but some might not have recognized him after his last appearance at the 2014 Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Showcase when he was just a six-foot-two guard. 18 months and five inches later and Baker Jr. is experiencing the same late growth spurt that his dad had in the late 80's when he too starred for Old Saybrook High School.
At the moment, Baker Jr. is a lanky stretch-four type who is long, lean and very much still growing into his body. His foundation on the perimeter combined with his newfound size makes him a potential mismatch who can space opposing defenses to the arc and is learning to utilize his length around the rim. He's a long way from being a finished product, but he's emerging on a rapid basis and has a significant upside.
While most coaches didn't even yet know of Baker Jr., the ones who did were all taking a wait-and-see approach, that is except Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea.
O'Shea didn't hesitate to become the first division I coach to offer him a scholarship earlier this spring, in large part because he had a front row seat for his father's emergence some 28 years earlier when he was a young assistant under Al Skinner at the University of Rhode Island. O'Shea actually started recruiting Baker Sr. for a brief time before he ultimately ended up at the University of Hartford and went on to stardom.
Three decades later, O'Shea is back in the state of Rhode Island and there was another Vin Baker at Old Saybrook High School...and this time he got his man.
Vincent Baker Jr.