Kentucky Basketball head coach John Calipari has went out of his way to find a shooter to add to his already talented class of 2017.
On Saturday afternoon, John Calipari paid a visit to four-star shooting guard Jemarl Baker. The Kentucky Basketball recruiting class just may get a shooting facelift if Baker decides to commit to the Cats.
Baker is rated as the 16th best shooting guard in the nation and the tenth best overall player from the state of California according to 247Sports. Baker has had a commitment to The University of California but has since been released from his designation due to a coaching change.
Jemarl Baker is quick off of the dribble as well as an efficient shooter. In addition, many experts tabbed John Calipari’s class as one of the more athletic classes he’s had. The knock on them was the fact that out of all the five-star players, none were proven shooters. Kentucky has made a living from three point land in the past with Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and Doron Lamb. In order for a team to be successful and reach that coveted national title game, three point shooting must be at a convenience.
Jemarl Baker Could be the difference maker
John Calipari hasn’t been one to go out and snag a four star recruit but he sees the writing on the wall. You cannot win in college basketball without a threat from deep. Baker could give Kentucky Basketball a legitimate threat to score from the outside. Check out some footage of Baker playing against the Ball brothers out of Chino Hills. The Wildcats could use another guard to take on the next in line from the Lavar Ball gene pool.
Jemarl Baker has great size for a guard. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 185 pounds, he will have a body big enough to knock around with the bigger guards. His size would make for a great perimeter defender as well as enhance his ability to get to the rim. One great aspect that Baker brings to the table besides his ability to shoot the ball, is that he could project to be a multi-year starter in a John Calipari dribble drive offense.
Next: Ranking the Top 10 Kentucky Basketball Three Point Shots of All Time
With the class of Jarred Vanderbilt, Quade Green, PJ Washington, and Nick Richards, the athleticism is there. Also, add in Hamidou Diallo and you’ve got yourself a load of talent that can put up video game statistics. Throw in a sharpshooter like Jemarl Baker, and you just may have the team that can bring home championship number nine.
Here’s some other highlights of Baker’s skills: