Chai Baker Signs NLI With Men’s Hoops

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State men’s basketball head coach Craig Robinson announced Wednesday that Chai Baker has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the program for the 2014-15 season.

“Chai Baker will hopefully develop into a sort of Roberto Nelson-like player,” Robinson said. “He has a good frame right now for a scoring guard. He passes the ball well and can shoot from the outside and he likes to get to the foul line. We are going to need that in the future.”

Baker, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard from Malone, Fla., attends Malone High School and is a three-star recruit according to ESPN.com and Rivals.com. He led his team in scoring each of the last three years, including 17.4 per night as a junior when he knocked down 74 three-pointers.

He made 156 shots from beyond the arc entering his senior season, while shooting 47 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point line and 67 percent from the stripe. Baker added 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game in his junior campaign.

Baker was named the Player of the Year by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association in 2013, and was an All-State selection in 2011 and 2013. He played AAU with the Alabama Challenge in 2012 and 2013 and with the Georgia Blazer in 2011.

“OSU is an awesome campus,” Baker said. “On my official visit everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I have a great relationship with the coaching staff. Coach (Doug) Stewart, my recruiter, recruited me heavily and hard, and I’m most thankful and appreciative that he seemed more concerned about my class work, grades, family and my future, which was over the top for me. Secondly, Coach Robinson himself is a great person; he’s more like a father figure and a mentor for me. Not only will he make me a better player, but a better person outside of basketball.

“Last, the team, they were great. The players made me feel like I was one of their little brothers when I visited. It showed and told me that we connected, so I know we will gel on the court. And I can’t leave out the practice facility and how great it is."

Click on the following YouTube link to watch highlights of Baker: