ANCHORAGE (July 17) – A former Anchorage prep star is headed home for the 2026-27 season as Alaska Anchorage men's basketball coach Cameron Turner announced Friday that Xzavier Baker has signed a scholarship agreement with the Seawolves.

A 6-8, 230-pound forward, Baker joins UAA from the transfer portal after playing his redshirt sophomore season last year at rival Alaska Fairbanks. The former Dimond High School star previously spent two seasons under Turner's tutelage at Eastern Arizona, where he helped the Gila Monsters to a 29-4 record and NJCAA Region 1 title in 2024-25.

"I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to coach Xzavier again," Turner said. "When I saw his name enter the transfer portal, I knew right away that I wanted to bring him home. We had been patient while looking for one more player to complete our class, and Xzavier was the perfect fit. He is a special young man who I know and trust, and who impacts winning. He's also a high-character person who understands what it takes to be part of a winning program."

After redshirting in 2023-24, Baker saw action in all 32 games, including 12 starts, for EAC as a freshman. He averaged 4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 62 percent (53 of 85) that season, scoring double figures three times and nabbing at least five rebounds on 10 occasions. He also played a pivotal role as a defender, often guarding the opposition's top post threat.

At Dimond, Baker led the Lynx to top-4 finishes at the ASAA 4A State Tournament as a junior and senior, earning all-tournament honors both times. He was the 2022-23 Cook Inlet Conference Player of the Year and an AABC First Team All-State honoree with averages of 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks per game, helping Dimond to a 25-4 overall record and 13-1 CIC mark.

Baker is the ninth player to sign since Turner assumed coaching duties in the spring, joining Quincy Byas (6-8/185, G/F, Portland, Ore./Rosemary Anderson Prep/Eastern Arizona), Karim Elgizawy (6-3/200, G, Cairo, Egypt/Laramie County [Wyo.] CC), RJ Foreman (6-7/220, F, Leonard, Texas/DeSoto HS/Lamar CC), Mack Keighran (6-2/180, G, Melbourne, Australia/Chadron State), Will Kuykendall (6-2/185, G, Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph HS/Arizona/Baylor), Joseph Mayberry (6-5/190, G, Lancaster, Texas/LHS/McLennan CC), Walker Timme (6-7/225, F, Richardson, Texas/Pearce HS/Southern Idaho/Northern Arizona) and Tarrance Warren (6-2/175, G, Dallas, Texas/Sam Houston HS/Eastern Arizona/Barry U.).