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Q&A: WR Dorian Baker on In-Coming Gopher De’Niro Laster: He is like my older brother
Ohio WR Dorian Baker on In-Coming Gopher De’Niro Laster: "He is like my older brother."
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/271088?referrer_id=331171
Dorian Baker, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound wide receiver from Cleveland Heights (OH) High, is one of the most highly recruited pass catchers in the Midwest. He was the teammate and close friend of Minnesota incoming freshman De’Niro Laster and that relationship could pay off for the Gophers.
Baker runs a 4.49 forth yard dash and benches 335 pounds and squats 420 pounds. He caught up with Gopherhole.com to talk about the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment right now?
Dorian Baker: I have ten offers right now. My top schools would be Minnesota, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and Illinois. I am planning on taking official visits to my top schools
Gopher Hole: What football camps have you had a chance to go to this summer?
Dorian Baker: I have been to Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Indiana.
Gopher Hole: You mentioned Minnesota. They have an incoming freshman, De’Niro Laster, who was at Cleveland Heights last year. Do you know him very well? Have you talked to him at all about Minnesota?
Dorian Baker: He is a close friend to the family. He is like my older brother. He has been talking to me about Minnesota and how he loves it there and how great the support is. He wants me to come down there and check it out with him.
Gopher Hole: Would you try to come up before school starts or would you take an official visit once the season starts?
Dorian Baker: When I take an official visit. I would try to get up there for a football camp, but I don’t think that is going to happen.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Dorian Baker: Coach Z has been telling me that they are only taking one receiver from my class and he wants it to be me primarily.
Gopher Hole: What is going to make you pick School A over School B or C?
Dorian Baker: Truly, I am looking for a place that makes me feel like I am home. I want to feel a place that doesn’t feel like it is far from home. I would prefer a father-figure coach, also. Someone I could come to and look up to. If I had a problem, I could just talk to them. That is the kind of coaching staff I am looking for and that is what I am looking for out of a school as well.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a wide receiver?
Dorian Baker: I am very quick off the ball. Very quick. I get good hand position for the ball. I am a physical wide receiver, so it is kind of hard for DBs to get up on me and try to jam me. I rarely get jammed.
Gopher Hole: It looks like you have increased your bench press and squat. Is that something you have been working on to get stronger to make that jump to the next level?
Dorian Baker: That is what I have been working on. Absolutely. I play both sides of the ball, so I have to be physically prepared and I have to get my body ready for that.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that playing defense helps you as a wide receiver since you know what defensive backs are trying to do to stop you?
Dorian Baker: Sometimes. When I play defense, I get winded a lot, so I don’t really get as much time to play defense. Last year, we had a lot of good players on defense and the ball was distributed through them as well. This year, it is kind of just me, so I have to be ready for the ball to be around me 24/7 and getting my body prepared.
Gopher Hole: You lost some good players like wide receiver Shelton Gibson signed with West Virginia and Laster, who is coming to Minnesota. What is the expectations for the upcoming season? You had a strange year last season when your team went to court to get into the playoffs where the playoffs rankings are done to computer.
Dorian Baker: I am really just trying to take it on game by game and see how it goes. I don’t plan on losing a game. We have the talent to go far and we have the coaching ability to go far, so we don’t want to put that to waste for my senior year.
Gopher Hole: Is that a motivating factor after the way things ended last season with having to go to court?
Dorian Baker: It is motivating. It should have never ended like that. I felt that we got cheated out of the playoffs and our seniors didn’t get a chance to finish off like they should have been able to finish off. We are here as a team that is trying to embrace that team.
Gopher Hole: How long have you known De'Niro?
Dorian Baker: I have known De’Niro my whole life. I met him when I was three. We grew up together. We played little league together and flag football and grew up from there.
Gopher Hole: Would you say that he is your best friend or one of your best friends?
Dorian Baker: He is more like a brother figure, like I look up. He is like my brother. That is how I look up to him. He lets me know what is going on. He tells me things as far as recruiting-wise. What I should look out for. He just has my back and everything. I come to him if I need anything
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play at the same school as him?
Dorian Baker: It would be like last year. He was at Shaker Heights the year before, so we caught back up when he came to (Cleveland) Heights. It was fun to play with him again and nice to be back with him for his senior year. In college, it would be a good experience. Great, actually.
Gopher Hole: You have offers from Akron, Buffalo, Illinois, Indiana, Marshall, Minnesota, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Toledo and Vanderbilt. What others schools are you hearing from besides those?
Dorian Baker: Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke. Florida State, I have been getting some mail from there. Tennessee wants me to come down for a camp on the 19th. Kentucky wants me to come to camp, but I’ll have to see to attend those.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you might even try to make a decision on a school? Or would you take all five of your visits? Have you thought that far yet?
Dorian Baker: I definitely want to take all five of my official visits. I want to get my parents up there as well, so they can actually see it. I don’t want to make a decision off of me being there. I want my parents to feel comfortable with my being there for the next few years.
Gopher Hole: Do you definitely think that Minnesota is going to be a place where you are going to take an official visit?
Dorian Baker: Yes. Definitely.
Ohio WR Dorian Baker on In-Coming Gopher De’Niro Laster: "He is like my older brother."
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/271088?referrer_id=331171
Dorian Baker, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound wide receiver from Cleveland Heights (OH) High, is one of the most highly recruited pass catchers in the Midwest. He was the teammate and close friend of Minnesota incoming freshman De’Niro Laster and that relationship could pay off for the Gophers.
Baker runs a 4.49 forth yard dash and benches 335 pounds and squats 420 pounds. He caught up with Gopherhole.com to talk about the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment right now?
Dorian Baker: I have ten offers right now. My top schools would be Minnesota, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and Illinois. I am planning on taking official visits to my top schools
Gopher Hole: What football camps have you had a chance to go to this summer?
Dorian Baker: I have been to Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Indiana.
Gopher Hole: You mentioned Minnesota. They have an incoming freshman, De’Niro Laster, who was at Cleveland Heights last year. Do you know him very well? Have you talked to him at all about Minnesota?
Dorian Baker: He is a close friend to the family. He is like my older brother. He has been talking to me about Minnesota and how he loves it there and how great the support is. He wants me to come down there and check it out with him.
Gopher Hole: Would you try to come up before school starts or would you take an official visit once the season starts?
Dorian Baker: When I take an official visit. I would try to get up there for a football camp, but I don’t think that is going to happen.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Dorian Baker: Coach Z has been telling me that they are only taking one receiver from my class and he wants it to be me primarily.
Gopher Hole: What is going to make you pick School A over School B or C?
Dorian Baker: Truly, I am looking for a place that makes me feel like I am home. I want to feel a place that doesn’t feel like it is far from home. I would prefer a father-figure coach, also. Someone I could come to and look up to. If I had a problem, I could just talk to them. That is the kind of coaching staff I am looking for and that is what I am looking for out of a school as well.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a wide receiver?
Dorian Baker: I am very quick off the ball. Very quick. I get good hand position for the ball. I am a physical wide receiver, so it is kind of hard for DBs to get up on me and try to jam me. I rarely get jammed.
Gopher Hole: It looks like you have increased your bench press and squat. Is that something you have been working on to get stronger to make that jump to the next level?
Dorian Baker: That is what I have been working on. Absolutely. I play both sides of the ball, so I have to be physically prepared and I have to get my body ready for that.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that playing defense helps you as a wide receiver since you know what defensive backs are trying to do to stop you?
Dorian Baker: Sometimes. When I play defense, I get winded a lot, so I don’t really get as much time to play defense. Last year, we had a lot of good players on defense and the ball was distributed through them as well. This year, it is kind of just me, so I have to be ready for the ball to be around me 24/7 and getting my body prepared.
Gopher Hole: You lost some good players like wide receiver Shelton Gibson signed with West Virginia and Laster, who is coming to Minnesota. What is the expectations for the upcoming season? You had a strange year last season when your team went to court to get into the playoffs where the playoffs rankings are done to computer.
Dorian Baker: I am really just trying to take it on game by game and see how it goes. I don’t plan on losing a game. We have the talent to go far and we have the coaching ability to go far, so we don’t want to put that to waste for my senior year.
Gopher Hole: Is that a motivating factor after the way things ended last season with having to go to court?
Dorian Baker: It is motivating. It should have never ended like that. I felt that we got cheated out of the playoffs and our seniors didn’t get a chance to finish off like they should have been able to finish off. We are here as a team that is trying to embrace that team.
Gopher Hole: How long have you known De'Niro?
Dorian Baker: I have known De’Niro my whole life. I met him when I was three. We grew up together. We played little league together and flag football and grew up from there.
Gopher Hole: Would you say that he is your best friend or one of your best friends?
Dorian Baker: He is more like a brother figure, like I look up. He is like my brother. That is how I look up to him. He lets me know what is going on. He tells me things as far as recruiting-wise. What I should look out for. He just has my back and everything. I come to him if I need anything
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play at the same school as him?
Dorian Baker: It would be like last year. He was at Shaker Heights the year before, so we caught back up when he came to (Cleveland) Heights. It was fun to play with him again and nice to be back with him for his senior year. In college, it would be a good experience. Great, actually.
Gopher Hole: You have offers from Akron, Buffalo, Illinois, Indiana, Marshall, Minnesota, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Toledo and Vanderbilt. What others schools are you hearing from besides those?
Dorian Baker: Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke. Florida State, I have been getting some mail from there. Tennessee wants me to come down for a camp on the 19th. Kentucky wants me to come to camp, but I’ll have to see to attend those.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you might even try to make a decision on a school? Or would you take all five of your visits? Have you thought that far yet?
Dorian Baker: I definitely want to take all five of my official visits. I want to get my parents up there as well, so they can actually see it. I don’t want to make a decision off of me being there. I want my parents to feel comfortable with my being there for the next few years.
Gopher Hole: Do you definitely think that Minnesota is going to be a place where you are going to take an official visit?
Dorian Baker: Yes. Definitely.
