Despite having a new position, playing in new role, around mostly new teammates and in an entirely new homecourt atmosphere, Jemarl Baker appears to be pretty much the same guy.
So, after he took a trip into the Arizona basketball and Sean Miller history books by pouring in 33 points Monday during UA’s 96-53 win over NAU, he made little of it.
It wasn’t even clear if Baker knew what he just did.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Baker said. “I was just going out there and playing basketball. I mean, I knew I was feeling good after the first shot went in. I started the game with a layup and that felt good as well. But we have a really unselfish team and I was just able to keep hitting shots.”
Baker wound up scoring the most points ever for a player under Miller at either Xavier or Arizona. That’s more than the microwavable Allonzo Trier, more than the dominating Deandre Ayton and more, even, than Derrick William’s unforgettable 32-point effort in the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 shocker over Duke in 2011, or Gabe York’s 2016 Senior Night of nine 3-pointers.
And, maybe, more points than Baker himself can ever remember — at least recently.
“Um, I’m not sure,” Baker said, when asked what’s the most he had ever scored before. “I had a lot of points in high school … but I’m not sure exactly. The high school game I know I had 32. … But this definitely the most points I’ve had in a while.”
It was more than Baker scored at Kentucky during his two-year career for those Wildcats and quite a bit more than anything he did last season, when the Wildcats hardly needed him to pour in the points with Nico Mannion running the show and Josh Green filling it up from the wing.
Baker averaged just 5.7 points per game last season while playing a reserve role at both guard spots. Combining that role with his continued knee issues last season made it difficult to forecast him as a 33-point scorer, at least to those who don’t watch the Wildcats practice every day.
But maybe not anymore.
“He’s been a consistent of a shooter as we’ve had,” Miller said. “But it’s hard to be a really consistent shooter when you have the role that he had on last year’s team, although it was a very important role.
“You need opportunity, and he has it on this year’s team. Quite frankly, our team needs him, not necessarily to play exactly like he did tonight, but being a guy who plays with great offensive confidence.”
Jemarl Baker scored 33 points against NAU earlier this season, but struggled from the field recently in Pac-12 play and broke his wrist on Saturday.
In what was one of the best 3-point shooting performances in Arizona history, Baker hit his first seven from beyond the arc before missing his final two. He actually could have thrown up another miss and tied UA’s single-game 3-point percentage record for 10 or more attempts set by Michael Dickerson (1996-97) and Kyle Fogg (2009-10), both of whom were 7 for 10.
As it was, Baker’s 5-for-5 3-point shooting in the first half tied the UA record for single-half 3-point percentage, set by Salim Stoudamire twice and by Jawann McClellan during games played late in the Lute Olson era.
Especially without freshman guard Kerr Kriisa, who remains stuck in the NCAA eligibility clearinghouse, the Wildcats need a heavier load of perimeter shooting. Only James Akinjo (8-18) and Bennedict Mathurin (4-10) have attempted 10 or more 3s over the first three games of the season, while Dalen Terry is 1-for-7.
“That’s what the coaches have been wanting me to do — they want me to be aggressive and just continue to take my shots,” Baker said. “I think just now I’m just starting to get more of a rhythm, and hopefully I can continue to grow. I work hard and try to get better every day.”
Miller said Baker is doing exactly that, literally. Not only is he is a more featured role, but he’s said his knees are better and, Miller said, so is the rest of his body.
“He has a bigger role, a bigger opportunity and always when your habits are really good like they are in Jamal’s case – his work ethic, his love for the game, how he treats his body” then good things can happen, Miller said. “I would say physically he’s healthy. =And if you just look at him, his body has really leaned out. Right now he’s about 5% body fat and he’s strong in a good way. He’s experienced, and I think he’s ready, certainly to build on what he did a year ago and be an overall more productive and better player.
“There aren’t too many guards who’ve had a game already this season like he had. I mean, he was terrific.”
