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LAS VEGAS – Can a five-star player break out? If so, Will Baker found a way to do just that in the month of July. A premier frontcourt prospect in the 2019 class, Baker talked to Rivals.com about taking his game to the next level, which schools are in the mix and when a final list might be made.

“I made the switch to Texas Hard Work, and I think that is was a good move. I like the guys on the team, we really play well together and I think that I can really show my strengths some more and my overall game,” he said. “I have been really working on playing inside-out, my shot so I can pop out off of the screen to get it off, and running as hard as I can, boxing out and getting rebounds.”

While no list has been made just yet, Baker did say that UCLA, the lone program to have hosted him for an official visit, Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford, Georgetown, Georgia and UNC are among the schools in contention. Louisville, Miami and Texas Tech have also recently jumped in with offers.

UCLA: “I really like Coach (Steve) Alford and Coach (Duane) Broussard and all of the other coaches on the staff. Their message is that I would be a good fit at their program. I could show what I could do there with playing inside and out, and I think that I would be a good fit in their system.”

Texas: “I really like Coach (Darrin) Horn and Shaka (Smart). They are really great guys and I have a really good relationship with them. They tell me that I could play inside-out and that I would be a really good fit there, as well. They have produced first-round picks for big men the past two years, so I could be another one.

Texas A&M: “I really like (Billy) Kennedy. Amir (Abdur-Rahim), left for Georgia but I still have very good relationships with all of the other coaches. I think that I could be a center piece at that program. I played with Sahvir (Wheeler), I really liked him a lot.”

UNC: “I think they are a big-man school. They could use me in the post as well as off of the screen and off of the pick and roll.”

Georgetown: “It is incredible. He (Patrick Ewing) called me and it was surreal having the chance to talk to him over the phone and learning about them and their recruiting and how they are a big-man school.”

Look for Baker to take a deeper look into his recruitment in the coming days.

“I will probably narrow it down some time in August,” he said. “I don’t know how many schools will be on that list, but we will see. I haven’t set any visits up yet.”

Baker is the definition of the new-age big man in today’s game. He is someone that can score in the post, out of the mid-range and to the three-point line. Beyond that, Baker blends toughness, ball skills and an underrated feel for the game in creating a frontcourt playmaker that can shred an opposing defense with the pass.

UCLA remains the slight favorite, although if anyone can pull the five-star away from the Bruins’ reach it would be the in-state Texas and Texas A&M programs. Georgia, Stanford, Georgetown and UNC will also continue to pursue him, and a signing is likely to occur in November.