Michigan basketball's Joey Baker opts to turn pro, ending college career

Joey Baker was planning on petitioning for a sixth season of eligibility and hoping to spend another year at Michigan.

Those plans have changed. Instead, Baker has opted to pursue a professional career and announced Monday in a social media post that his college career has come to an end after four seasons with Duke and one with the Wolverines.

“5 incredible years,” Baker wrote in an Instagram post. “(Duke and Michigan), thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me the opportunities to live out my dream.

“Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) and Coach (Juwan) Howard, thank your for pushing me and making me a better man. To all my brothers I’ve met along the way, I got y’all for life! The journey continues.”

Baker, a 6-foot-6 wing, averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game — all career-high marks — while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range this past season. He appeared in all 34 games, made five starts and scored in double figures seven times, highlighted by a 21-point outing against Toledo in the first round of the NIT that ended up being his last game at Crisler Center.

It was after that Toledo victory on March 14 Baker revealed he would seek an NCAA waiver to regain a redshirt from his freshman season with the Blue Devils, during which he appeared in four games and played 18 total minutes.

“We’ll see what happens,” Baker said at the time, adding he would “absolutely” spend the additional year in Ann Arbor. “If I got it, I’m back here.”

When asked about the possibility of Baker coming back, Howard was all for it and put his hands together as though he were praying for it to happen.

“Hopefully,” Howard said after the Toledo game. “We’re going to try hard, give it our best shot. We would love to have him back, and not just because of his shooting, but just overall the person. He fits in the locker room. The guys enjoy playing with him.

“He's been in big games now and he sees that the guys trust him, that we need his leadership. It'd be nice to have him back next season.”

Ultimately, Baker had a change of heart and felt it was time to leave college. According to a program spokesperson, Baker’s waiver didn’t get denied. He decided to go pro, and he’ll explore his options after signing with an agent.

Baker is the fifth departure from this past season's team that finished 18-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament. Freshman wing Jett Howard and sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin have declared for the NBA Draft, while junior center Hunter Dickinson and sophomore wing Isaiah Barnes entered the transfer portal.

The Wolverines have added three transfers — Alabama’s Nimari Burnett, Seton Hall’s Tray Jackson and North Carolina’s Caleb Love — to offset those losses. As it stands, Michigan has one scholarship available for next season. But, that’s not counting Jaelin Llewellyn, who is applying for a medical hardship waiver and another year after tearing his ACL in early December.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins