Duke basketball captain Joey Baker enters transfer portal
DURHAM — Duke basketball reserve forward and Fayetteville native Joey Baker will finish his college career outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The 6-foot-6 senior captain has entered the transfer portal and will use his final season of eligibility at another school, Wednesday. Baker will still complete his degree at Duke.
“It has been an absolute pleasure having Joey in our program," said former coach Mike Krzyzewski. "He’s been a joy to coach and a great leader. I’m thrilled he’ll be earning a degree from one of the great institutions in the world and I wish him all the best."
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Baker, who played in 34 games last season and averaged 4.5 points for a Blue Devils team that finished 32-7 and won the ACC regular-season title, entered his name in the transfer portal after the NCAA's May 1 deadline and will need to apply for a waiver before joining another team next season.
“My four years at Duke have meant the world to me,” Baker said in a school release. “I have grown immensely as a player, teammate, and most importantly as a person. The experiences I have been a part of will be memories that I carry with me for the rest of my life. The relationships I have built here are more meaningful than I could ever express, and the lessons have made me a better man. I want to thank every person within the program, but specifically Coach K and our coaching staff, for helping to make these past four years the best possible experience. You all have influenced me in ways few could understand. It’ll be an honor to receive my degree from Duke this summer and I look forward to the next stage of my career.”
In April, after playing in only five minutes of the NCAA Tournament, Duke announced that Baker had hip surgery and planned to return next season as a grad student.
With Baker gone as well as center Keena Worthington's decision to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago, that leaves Duke at 10 scholarship players next season. Krzyzewski's grandson Micheal Savarino entered his name in the transfer portal in April.
The Blue Devils are courting another perimeter player in A.J. Green, the two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Northern Iowa, who is visiting campus Wednesday as a possible transfer. They still await the decision of 6-4 guard Trevor Keels, who entered his name in the NBA draft and is currently at the scouting combine in Chicago this week while contemplating a return to Duke.
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball captain Joey Baker enters transfer portal
