Busting Brackets
Fansided

Recruiting: 2017 four-star prospect Jemarl Baker still considering nine schools

By Daniel Benjamin

Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts against the Wichita State Shockers during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts against the Wichita State Shockers during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NCAA basketball recruiting signing period is about to take center stage in the world of college sports.

While a plethora of top basketball prospects in the class of 2017 have committed to schools, there are still several intriguing players sifting through their options.

Related Story: Shawn Olden commits to TCU

One such player is four-star prospect Jemarl Baker. Baker is reportedly still deciding between nine schools. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is considering Kentucky, along with Duke and Utah. Baker also has Marquette, Maryland, Oregon, Arizona State and San Diego State on his list according to Ryan Silver, his AAU coach.

The regular NCAA basketball signing period begins April 12 and runs through May 27 for D-I programs.

Baker was recently released from his National Letter of Intent by the Cal Golden Bears. He decided to re-open his recruitment following the departure of head coach Cuonzo Martin. Martin took the head coaching job at Missouri after the Golden Bears’ season.

Baker along with Cal St. Fullerton signee Matt Mitchell led Roosevelt High to the 2017 CIF Division I championship defeating James Logan. Baker struggled shooting the ball in the championship game as he did all season long. He finished with nine points on 1-of-10 shooting, along with two rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Baker is a scorer who has a tendency to fall in love with the three-point shot too much. Baker has a significant amount of range on his jumper, though. He has the ability to get to the basket as well. In addition, he is a good distributor with tight handles, giving him the ability to play the point.

Here is ESPN Insider scouting report on Baker.

"“Baker is a willowy scorer who has a feathery jump shot that extends out to 22-feet and his ball skills are tight. He can nail jump shots off the catch or convert it off his 2-dribble pull-up.”“Baker needs to continue to get stronger and that should come with normal maturity and weight training. In addition, he needs to continue to develop his mid-range skills.”"

Baker averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17. He took well over half of his 468 shots from beyond the arc, connecting on 34 percent of those attempts. He shot 39 percent from the field overall.

Kentucky’s head coach John Calipari is slated to meet with Baker on April 7, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog. Zagoria also said that Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak met with Baker last week. Arizona’s Sean Miller, Oregon’s Dana Altman, and Marquette’s Steve Wojciechowski are expected to make the trek to Eastvale in the near future.

Kentucky has one of the top 2017 recruiting classes in the nation. The Wildcats have signed five players from the class and have received a commitment from Jarred Vanderbilt. UK has two guards in the class of 2017: Quade Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Next: Early preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season

Kentucky is in serious need of backcourt help with the departures of Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, Mychal Mulder and Dominique Hawkins. Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe has yet to make his intentions known for next year as he could bolt for the NBA as well. Hamidou Diallo is joining the team after sitting out this season.

Home/NCAA Basketball News