BYU men’s hoops lands transfer guard Dawson Baker
BYU men’s basketball continues to load up for the Big 12.
Mark Pope added another piece to his rotation Monday in UC Irvine transfer Dawson Baker, a sharpshooting three-year starter for the Anteaters holding two seasons of eligibility with the Cougars.
“I feel like I’ve been groomed my whole basketball career to be in the situation BYU is going into, with playing on bigger stage,” Baker told Robby McCombs of Vanquish the Foe. “My career has been full of proving myself as a player and proving doubters wrong. It fits for me on the court and off the court and I’m excited to be on a hungry team with something to prove.”
Baker averaged 12.9 points over 79 games at UC Irvine, making 71 starts at guard and shooting 46.2% from the floor and 36.8% from deep. The 6-foot-4 Coto De Caza, California native was an All-Big West Second Team selection in 2022-23 after posting 15.3 points and 3.2 assists per game, scoring in double figures in 32 of 35 games with the Anteaters.
Baker chose to sign with BYU over offers from Utah, Utah State and Boise State. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Baker served a full-time mission in Guam following his high school graduation in 2018.
Baker joins Charlotte big man Aly Khalifa as BYU’s portal additions in the offseason thus far, leaving the Cougars with one remaining scholarship to fill.