BAKER NAMED WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR; HUTCH PLACES 3 ON KJCCC TEAMS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Tying a Blue Dragon freshman record for 3-pointers and being the top 3-point shooter in the Jayhawk Conference this season, Hutchinson Community College guard Josh Baker was named the 2020 Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year on Tuesday.

Baker is one of three Blue Dragons to earn all-conference postseason honors after a 23-9 season that came to a conclusion in the Region VI Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday in Dodge City.

In addition to being named the league's top freshman, Baker also earned second-team All-Jayhawk West honors. Sophomore Saquan Singleton was the only Blue Dragon first-team selection. Sophomore Tyler Brown was an honorable mention selection.

CLICK FOR ENTIER ALL-KJCCC TEAMS

JOSH BAKER – Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year; 2nd-team All-Jayhawk West
Josh Baker is the first Blue Dragon Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year since Bashir Ahmed in 2015 and is fourth Freshman of the Year in the Steve Eck era.

Baker tied a Blue Dragon freshman record with 76 3-pointers this season this season, matching Derrick Drummond in 1996. Baker also tied Drummond for the third-most 3-pointers in Blue Dragon single-season history.

Baker led the Jayhawk Conference this season in 3-point efficiency at 49.4 percent (76 of 154). That mark is fourth-best in Jayhawk Conference history.

The 6-foot-4, 175-point guard from Temple, Arizona, was Hutchinson's second-leading scorer this season at 13.8 points per game. Overall, Baker shot 51.1 percent (143 of 280) and shot 80.6 percent from the free-throw line. Baker also averaged 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals.

Baker has a season high of 29 points when he hit seven 3-pointers against Independence. He had seven games of 20 or more points and scored in double figures in 20 of 32 games played this season.

Baker was fifth in the KJCCC in free-throw percentage this season. His 76 3-pointers are the eighth most in the league this season.

SAQUAN SINGLETON – 1st-team All-Jayhawk West
The 6-6 sophomore from the Bronx, New York, did a little bit of everything for the Blue Dragons, ranking in the KJCCC's statistical Top 20 in seven different categories.

Singleton averaged 11.8 points per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field. He averaged a team-high 7.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals with 30 total blocked shots in 30.8 minutes per game.

Singleton ranked third in assists, sixth in the league in rebounding, ninth in minutes played, 13th in field-goal percentage, 15th in blocked shots and 16th in steals.

Singleton posted a triple-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against NEO on November 12. He also had three other double-doubles this season. Singleton had three games of 12 or more rebounds.

Singleton's first-team selection marks the fifth-straight season the Blue Dragons have had a first-team all-KJCCC selection.

TYLER BROWN – Honorable Mention All-Jayhawk West
A 6-1 sophomore guard from Derby, Kansas, Brown was Hutchinson's third-leading scorer at 12.8 points per game. He shot 43.0 percent overall and was Hutch's second-best 3-point shooter at 36.4 percent, hitting 56 of 154 attempts.

Brown scored a career-high 26 points against Monroe College on February 15. He had a career-best six 3-pointers against Eastern Oklahoma State on November 1.