Will Baker follows Steve Alford to Nevada

After entering the NCAA transfer portal back in November, former Texas Longhorns center Will Baker announced his transfer to the Nevada Wolf Pack on Friday.

The 6’11, 245-pounder was a big-time recruit for the Longhorns in the 2019 recruiting class as the No. 35 player and the No. 9 center overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Once Baker arrived on campus, however, he experienced some significant struggles, both in getting on the court and scoring when he did so. Baker scored only 16 points in his first 17 games with the Longhorns before breaking through with 20 points against the Horned Frogs on 8-of-12 shooting in mid-February.

The Austin Westlake product had started 1-of-25 shooting from three-point range before hitting 4-of-6 shots against TCU. Baker finished the season averaging 2.1 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.

The scoring outburst against the Horned Frogs ultimately registered as an anomaly during Baker’s career in Austin. He initially intended to spend the 2020-21 season trying to improve as a player, but entered the portal in late November.

Now he’ll join a Nevada program headed by Steve Alford, who was the UCLA head coach when Baker included the Bruins in his final three before initially choosing the Longhorns.