Duquesne freshman Chad Baker decides to transfer

Freshman Chad Baker wasn’t Duquesne’s best player during the 2020-2021 season, but he flashed impressive shooting ability that offered hope for the Dukes’ future.

Duquesne won’t get an opportunity to benefit from Baker’s potential, however, after the 6-foot-7 forward from the Dominican Republic informed coach Keith Dambrot that he intends to transfer.

His decision to leave Duquesne came 13 months after his committment. It also is one of the most significant personnel moves in a massive makeover of the Duquesne roster.

Three of Duquesne’s top four scorers from last season won’t return next season. Those players are Baker, senior Michael Hughes, who is looking toward a professional career, and senior Marcus Weathers, who is using his bonus year of NCAA eligibility at SMU where he will join his twin brother, Michael. Also gone are starting guards Sincere Carry and Lamar Norman Jr., who left in January.

Meanwhile, Dambrot has signed a six-man recruiting class this year, including transfers Leon Ayers III (Mercer), Rodney Gunn Jr. (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Tre Williams (Indiana State) and incoming freshmen Jackie Johnson, Amir Spears and Andy Barba. Plus, senior guard Tavian Dunn-Martin could have moved on, but he decided to return for his final season of eligibility.

Baker, who played at Spire Academy in Cleveland and Colonia (N.J.) High School, led the Dukes in shooting percentage from the 3-point (41.7%) and foul lines (81.3%, among players with more than seven attempts). He also stood fourth in scoring (9.5) and second in blocks (13). His shooting percentage beyond the 3-point arc was second-best all-time by a Duquesne freshman.

He averaged 24.4 minutes while starting 13 of the Dukes’ 18 games.

Baker was at his best in two late-season games, scoring 21 in the final regular-season victory against Rhode Island and 16 in a first-round Atlantic 10 Tournament victory against Richmond. In that game, Baker broke a 60-60 tie with 1 minute, 10 seconds left when he stopped in transition and hit a two-pointer. After the game, Dambrot noted, “For a young guy, he has no fear.”

The next day, however, Baker injured his hip in the first half of a tournament loss to St. Bonaventure and ended up playing only 10 minutes with two points.

Baker also committed four technical fouls during the season, but Dambrot believed he was a good player who would get better.

“I want to wish him the best,” Dambrot said Friday in a text message to the Tribune-Review. “He had a good year and has a chance to be a very good player.”

Dambrot ended that last sentence with an exclamation point.