Having missed all but four games of BYU's recent basketball season due to a foot injury, Dawson Baker never seriously thought about entering the transfer portal when Mark Pope bolted for Kentucky, although the 6-4 guard acknowledges the days were "gloomy" immediately after the five-year coach's departure.
Baker had already experienced life in the transfer portal, didn't want to go through it again, and was quite confident that athletic director Tom Holmoe and deputy AD Brian Santiago would "find the right guy" to replace Pope.
Then he was "blown away" by the man they found, Phoenix Suns assistant Kevin Young.
"As soon as I talked to him — we had a great conversation — it felt very real and sincere," Baker said. "He just made me more excited to stay. I never really wanted to leave BYU. I love the situation here, and the culture and the basketball aspect."
Baker transferred to BYU from UC Irvine last spring after three seasons with the Anteaters. He led the team in scoring in 2022-23, averaging 15.3 points per game. Pope and assistants Cody Fueger, Kahil Fennell and Nick Robinson recruited him to BYU, he said, so he was disappointed to see their departures.
"There was a lot of uncertainty, with (everyone) kind of wondering what was going to happen," Baker said. "There were a lot of questions with me, where my loyalty stands. But as soon as coach Young was hired, I (noticed) his resume is off the charts and people who have worked with him have nothing but great things to say about him."
Baker has already received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for the 2023-24 season, so he still has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is looking forward to showing BYU fans, and the new coaching staff that now includes former Stanford assistant Brandon Dunson and former UVU/BYU/Utah assistant Chris Burgess , what he can do.
"The people here are crazy about basketball," he said. "I never really wanted to leave that. To have a coach come in who I think is going to elevate us to another level, that just kinda gets me more excited."
When Baker heard that teammates Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders and Aly Khalifa had entered the portal, he immediately went into action. Khalifa eventually signed with Louisville, while Hall and Saunders returned to BYU.
Jaxson Robinson has declared for the NBA draft and entered the portal , so chances are slim that the Cougars' leading scorer from last year will return to BYU.
"I tried to get in their ears," Baker said. "Obviously I am someone that has been through the portal. I have already done this. And a lot of the guys on our team haven't really had that experience, so I tried to let them know what it would be like."
When he was in the portal, Baker entertained offers from Utah, Utah State and Boise State. His father, Dave, played at Cypress (California) College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His older brothers, Dusty and Davis, played at Weber State and Southern Utah, respectively.
So he knows about a lot of programs, especially in the West.
"One of the main things I stressed was the things that we have here at BYU, you can't really find anywhere else," Baker said. "Other offers can be enticing, and the grass always seems greener on the other side. But in reality, most times it is not."
He also reminded his teammates that BYU could have a top-25 team coming back , a "fan base that truly cares," and a new coach with plenty of ties to the NBA.
"I reminded the guys of the importance of what we have and what we have built," he said. "You don't really find that in the portal. So I had a little part of (persuading them to stay). I just kinda stayed in guys' ears, talked to them, told them how much I care about them and want to be on the same team as them and continue to build the momentum that we have started."
With Saunders and Hall back in the fold and Young getting more and more established in Provo, Baker can now turn his attention to his own health — and his wedding on May 31. He's marrying Maddy Weeks, who is from Orem. The couple met the first day of school in an upper-division writing class.
Both dropped the class the next day, "but we kinda talked a little bit and we have been dating ever since," Baker said. "We will be getting married before we finish that class."
Baker arrived in Provo last summer needing surgery on his foot and, two weeks later, his knee, the latter to shave down a bone growth that was causing pain.
He made his BYU debut on Dec. 16 against Georgia State, scoring six points in eight minutes, but the pain in his foot had not subsided. He scored 10 points against Bellarmine in 18 minutes, four points against Wyoming in 10 minutes, and then logged just two minutes against Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener.
"As soon as I talked to him — we had a great conversation — it felt very real and sincere. He just made me more excited to stay. I never really wanted to leave BYU. I love the situation here, and the culture and the basketball aspect."
At that point, it was determined that he needed more surgery on his foot, and his season was over. He said the second surgery on his foot has made a world of difference.
"It is doing a lot better. It is a lot stronger, and the mornings after workouts, it responds really well," he said. "Before, it was not like that. So it is going good. I am just trying to get back into basketball shape, because it has been awhile."
He has gained 5-8 pounds "to bulk up a little bit" and is now up to 200, which is his ideal playing weight. He's been shooting a lot and working with BYU's strength coaches and sports medicine team to get his body right.
"I have been putting in a lot of work," he said. "A lot of guys were done when the season ended and excited for the offseason. I was excited to start up again just because I haven't played. I am super eager to get after it, play some picking, get in some workouts and really just put the ball in the hoop again."
Baker grew up in Coto de Caza, California, and has had a basketball in his hands since he can remember, following in the footsteps of his father and older brothers, Davis and Dusty. Another brother, Donovan, also played.
His mother's name is Carise, and all his sisters' names start with the letter C: Cassidy, Chadley and Carli.
Who wins in one-on-one basketball battles?
"Everybody is going to say themselves, but if we are all being honest with each other, I think I take the cake with that one," said Dawson, who served a church mission to Micronesia, Guam.
Baker graduated from Capistrano Valley High in 2018 and was the CIF 2AA Player of the Year, but Dave Rose-coached BYU didn't recruit him heavily and never invited him to take an official campus visit to Provo.
"I was kind of the type to believe that, if they really want me, they are going to be the ones that reach out. I wasn't going to reach out to them and say 'pick me,' or whatnot," Baker said. "That's how it turned out. UCI was there the whole time and that was a good situation for me, coming back from my mission. I learned a lot from the coaching staff and players there. I am super grateful for that opportunity."
BYU guard Trey Stewart, left, congratulates Dawson Baker as he comes out of the game as BYU and Georgia State play at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
