Jemarl Baker fully cleared to play at Fresno State in 2022-23
Remember Jemarl Baker? Yes, that Jemarl Baker, the same Jemarl Baker who signed with Kentucky out of high school in 2017 and is now 24 years old?
He’s now at Fresno State, and he’s been fully cleared to return to basketball activities after suffering a season-ending knee injury last season. Baker played just five games for the Bulldogs in 2021-22 after playing just 12 the year before at Arizona.
Going into his fifth year of college basketball, injury issues have limited Baker’s time on the floor from the start. He was forced to miss the entirety of his first season at Kentucky in 2017-18 after suffering a torn meniscus. He then missed time as a redshirt freshman, playing 28 games in year two for the Wildcats, averaging 2.3 points in 9.1 minutes per game.
Baker entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, ultimately taking his talents to Arizona for his second stop. There, he averaged 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19.3 minutes per game as a redshirt sophomore while dealing with lingering hip issues, shooting 34.3 percent from three and 82.6 percent from the line. As a redshirt junior in 2020-21, Baker averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12 games before missing the remainder of the year with a broken wrist.
The Menifee, CA native hit the portal for a second time that offseason and decided to head home, transferring to Fresno State. He played just five games with two starts, averaging 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Five injury-filled years later, Baker is healthy once again as a sixth-year graduate senior at Fresno State.
The former two-time Wildcat (Kentucky and Arizona) hopes to finish his career strong as a Bulldog in 2022-23.
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