FORT MYERS, Fla.- After an All-Conference season with the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, FSW big man Tyrone Baker will be taking his talents to the Empire State after signing his National Letter of Intent to play for the Sharks of Long Island University next season.  

Baker was a 2^nd Team All-Citrus Conference selection for the Bucs this season as a sophomore, averaging 11.8 point and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field in 27 contests.  Baker came on big at the end of the season for FSW, scoring in double figures in 9 of his final 11 games of the year including three 20+ point performances in Bucs wins over Polk State, Santa Fe, and Miami Dade. His best all around game of the year came in the Bucs first matchup of 2024 when he narrowly missed a triple-double with 16 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds in a win over Albany Tech. 

Baker will play at LIU for long time NBA star Rod Strickland who racked up nearly 15,000 points and 8,000 assists across 17 seasons. Strickland led the Sharks to a 7-22 mark a season ago which included a 6-10 record in Northeastern Conference play.

Baker is one of seven Bucs to sign at the NCAA Division I level this season joining teammates Dezdrick Lindsay (Oregon), Jaehshon Thomas (Radford), Reis Jones (Charleston Southern), Karmani Gregory (USC-Upstate), Yvens Paul (Eastern Kentucky), and AJ Hopkins (UT-Martin).