BYU Guard Dawson Baker Nearing Resolution On Foot Injury
Jan 11, 2024, 4:27 PM
BYU basketball guard Dawson Baker is trending toward having surgery on his injured foot. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
ORLANDO, Fla. – BYU basketball guard Dawson Baker has never been healthy this season.
The UC Irvine transfer suffered a foot injury during training camp that has limited his availability.
Baker has appeared in four games this season. But after playing only three minutes against Cincinnati in BYU’s Big 12 opener, then not traveling for the Baylor game, the questions have ramped up on Baker.
The 6-foot-4 guard is nearing a resolution on his foot injury.
BYU head coach Mark Pope said that Baker is trending towards having surgery on his foot.
Dawson Baker is trending toward surgery on his foot
“It’s certainly looking like he’s going have to have surgery again,” said BYU coach Mark Pope on his Coaches Show (KSL NewsRadio, 9 p.m.). “We should get the final word in the next 24 hours. But that’s how it looks right now.”
Having surgery would shut down Baker’s 2024 season.
Baker was emerging as one of the top players in the program during training camp practices.
Against Bellarmine on December 22, Baker scored 10 points in 18 minutes of action.
Baker, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prioritized BYU when he entered the Transfer Portal as an All-Big West performer from UC Irvine.
“What’s interesting about Dawson is that he was so fantastic for two or three games. But he was never close to full capacity. He brings a very different slice to our team. His ability to turn hips and get downhill at will without needing an action is pretty special. So if it does out that he can’t help us out this year, he’s certainly going to be a huge piece for us moving forward.”
Pope believes Baker will have two years remaining in his BYU basketball career
Pope added that the expectation would be that Baker would still have two years of eligibility remaining this season.
If players play in less than 30% of a season due to an injury, they could qualify for an NCAA medical redshirt. The school and the player would need to apply for the waiver.
No. 18 BYU returns to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on UCF in Orlando at 2 p.m. (MT).
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
