Jordan Baker is Leaving Pepperdine

November 13, 2012; Berkeley, CA, USA; Pepperdine Waves guard Jordan Baker (1) dribbles the ball ahead of California Golden Bears guard Allen Crabbe (23) during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, Pepperdine announced that sophomore guard Jordan Baker (not to be confused with Jordan Baker in the great Gatsby) would be leaving the university. This is a huge blow to Pepperdine, consider Baker was a significant part of the Waves offense. His reasons for transferring are relatively unknown, and the Pepperdine faithful are most likely feeling like they were punched in the gut after this news.

Baker was one of the better players in the WCC in his time at Pepperdine. Baker played in 59 games, and averaged 10.2 points per game. He was an honorable mention for the all-WCC team. Baker possesses a fantastic handle, and can be lethal from beyond the arc. As a junior, Baker was supposed to be one of the leaders for Pepperdine next season.

The Waves and head coach Marty Wilson are currently in the middle of a heavy rebuilding process, and Baker’s departure will set the Waves back even further. A similar thing happened when Keion Bell left the program after the 2010-2011 season to play at Missouri, and afterward, Pepperdine struggled a good amount. Although it is not certain whether Baker’s absence will be as hard to fill as Bell’s, but it has the potential to be just that. With the way the WCC is progressing lately, the loss of Baker will likely be costly to the Pepperdine Basketball program.

Baker joins Moriba De Freitas:, Jan Maehlen, and Manny Ochenje on the list of Pepperdine players that are leaving the program.