As a freshman basketball player, Arizona native Jordan Baker is on the track of getting used to combining an intense training schedule and classes. However, it doesn’t stand in the way of being one of the most promising freshman athletes of Pepperdine and growing as a bright star of WCC, according to various ranking.
Growing up in a family with two brothers and three sisters, Baker has been playing basketball since he was 5 years old. He recalls how he was “playing for fun” with his dad, who taught him most of the basic concepts of the game. It was not until middle school when Baker decided that basketball would be something more then just a hobby.
He has been playing in the Team Arizona club since he was 10 years old. After getting a sense of the fundamentals and fine details of the game, he switched to the Team Magic during his senior year in Tempe High School.
For Baker, honors for excellent games became something regular and simple. Among all the titles and awards, he was named Arizona’s Gatorade State Player of 2011 and was East Valley Tribune’s all-state selection in addition to being a leading player in Tempe High School during all four years in varsity.
Baker explained that choosing to come to Pepperdine was a “mutual decision between him and the University.
“I like the high level of academics that Pepperdine offers and in the same time, great athletic program,” Baker said. “I have also met a lot of wonderful people here. And, of course, you can’t beat the Malibu ocean view.” “First of all, Jordan is a great person,” Head coach Willis said, ” As a player, he continues to get better each day. He learns fast, he has passion for the game and a desire to be a very god player.”
“Jordan’s play this far has been steadily improving at both ends of the floor. The one thing that I am pleased the most is he has adjusted from playing too fast and out of control at times to where he rarely plays too fast and makes good plays and decisions.”
“Jordan is a very good athlete who has the ability to play both guard positions,” Willis added, ” He is very comfortable at the scoring guard position because of his ability to create shots and make plays.”
Baker calls the game against Gonzaga the most difficult one for him in this season so far.
“It was my first performance on the big stage so even though we did not win the game I consider it a good lesson for the future”, Baker said.
He is not declared his major yet, however, he is considering Integrated Marketing Communication.
In the future, Baker hopes that he will be able to make it to NBA and become a recognized athlete of international status. He considers his younger brother to be the one who inspires him to success.
“Before I dedicate myself to anything else, I really want to see how far basketball can take me,” he said. Taking into consideration his achievements so far, he has all premises to become the leading player of the Waves team and step into successful future after graduation. Only time will show how far Baker will go.
