Hard to think of an Iowa basketball player who has defied the odds more than Nicholas Baer
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The improbable rise of Nicholas Baer wouldn’t have happened without a caring and determined big sister, without Iowa losing to Northwestern in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament and without a childhood dream.
It took all three of those things to make Baer’s dream of being a Hawkeye come true.
That dream has since turned into storybook career that is nearly over as Baer will make his final appearance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday against Rutgers in the regular-season home finale.
It almost seems appropriate that the 6-foot-7 Baer is the only senior on the team because that way all the attention will be focused on him, which he deserves for pouring his heart and soul into being a Hawkeye.
Baer probably wouldn’t agree with that because he always puts the team first.
But for just a few minutes on Saturday prior to tip-off, Nicholas Baer will have center stage to himself and it promises to be emotional as he shares the moment with his teammates, family and friends.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery will also take part in the Senior Day celebration before serving the first of his two-game suspension.
“I’m an emotional person, too, I’ll probably be crying my eyes out,” Baer said after practice on Friday. “That’s how it goes. My family, we’re a family of criers, so it’ll be fun. I think that’s what it’s all about though, being a part of something that you care about that much that it brings you to emotion. I’ve never been shy about that by any means.
“So I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to greeting coach and getting my jersey and everything. But the best thing about it would be a win.”
Baer’s family deserves some credit for helping Nicholas defy the odds, especially his older sister, Elizabeth, who walked into the Iowa basketball office in 2013 and asked to speak with assistant coach Kirk Speraw.
Nicholas Baer was a senior at Bettendorf high School at the time, while Elizabeth was a freshman at Iowa, and just 13 months older than Nicholas. Elizabeth knew that her brother wanted to play basketball for Iowa and she encouraged Speraw to take a closer look at him.
That chance came when Iowa lost to Northwestern 67-62 in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament because that allowed Fran McCaffery to be in Des Moines to watch his son, Connor McCaffery, play for West High against Bettendorf in the semifinals of the state tournament.
West High prevailed 49-46, but Baer made a believer out of Fran McCaffery by scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
McCaffery invited Baer to walk-on and the rest is that history that continues to write one incredible chapter after another.
“The only reason coach (McCaffery) was there is because they lost to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament,” Baer said. “So if they had beat Northwestern, you guys aren’t talking to me right now.
“That’s just how things work out, though. That’s what happens. I can’t control everything. But, obviously, just taking advantage of the opportunity when you have it.”
Fran McCaffery sort of resents it when Baer is referred to as a walk-on.
Baer has been on scholarship for three years and was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a third-year sophomore in 2017. He earned that award for a season in which he amassed at least 250 points, 45 steals, 45 3-point baskets and 40 block shots in a season. Baer was the only player in the country to produce those numbers and the only Big Ten player to do it over the past 25 years.
He is also the only player in program history to total 725 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, 100 steals and 100 3-point baskets.
“I think he's been tremendous, in particular this year, for this team,” Fran McCaffery said. “But he has been that the whole time he's been here. His work ethic is unparalleled. His character, his demeanor in the locker room, his influence and love of his teammates and respect for the game. The guy's every coach's dream to have somebody that embodies all those qualities, but also is a really good player. He's a really good player.
“I remember earlier in the year someone asked me a question about he's an intangibles guy, and I kind of got insulted. Yeah, he does the intangibles, but he's a really good basketball player. He can dribble, pass, and shoot. He can rebound. He can run. He defends. He's smart, he's always in the right place. That's why he's on scholarship.”
Expanding his game
Baer has transformed himself from a center in high school who only attempted one 3-point shot to a versatile small forward who is comfortable playing near the basket or on the perimeter.
“He scored around the basket, and we didn't know if that would develop or not,” Fran McCaffery said. “You could tell that he had the length and the athleticism to do that. Sometimes you're just not asked to do that at the high school level. He was their tallest kid. He was really good at scoring the ball inside, and that's how they utilized him.
“So now he comes to our system, and we're letting him run out on the break and dribble it and drive it. Now, to his credit, he really worked on it, in particular, three-point shooting. He watched us play as sort of a student of the game that first year. Yeah, he was at practice. Yes, he's in the weight room. And we talked to him and said, you know, you really want to make an impact, help us stretch the floor with your ability to step out and make shots. And he really worked at it and developed really good confidence in it and has been a really good shooter for us and many times in very critical situations.”
Baer’s impact and influence goes beyond the court.
The other players all look up to him because they respect his approach to everything. Baer works to the point of exhaustion on the court and always puts the team first, while off the court, he lives his life with class and dignity.
“He’s one of a kind,” Connor McCaffery said. “I’ve never seen or played with anyone really like him. He’s always for the team and really wants to do his part. He does so many things for the team.”
Rare company
Baer hadn’t heard of Darryl Moore when asked about him on Friday, but they share a unique bond.
They both are shining examples that no dream is too big if you have what it takes to accomplish your dream.
Baer and Moore both wanted to play basketball for the University of Iowa, and they stuck with that dream even without a scholarship offer.
Moore made his rise in the late 1990s from walk-on to starting small forward. The Chicago native compensated for his lack of height at 6-2 with incredible leaping ability and quickness.
Moore started as a junior and averaged 5.2 points per game for Iowa's 1996-97 squad that finished second in the Big Ten and 22-10 overall.
He also started as a senior in 1997-98 and averaged 7.1 points per game.
It’s hard to think of many walk-ons over the past 40 years who have accomplished more than Baer and Moore have in an Iowa uniform.
Other walk-ons have played key roles for Iowa, including Kyle Galloway, Jason Bauer, Jason Smith and Kurt Spurgeon, but what Baer has accomplished is rare.
“It's incredibly rare, yes,” Fran McCaffery said. “It's rare at this level.”
McCaffery told the story about Pete Miller, who came to Notre Dame as an undersized walk-on forward in the 1990s and then left as a starter who was matched against the great Ray Allen from Connecticut in a game.
“He was kind of an undersized, like a 6'3” forward at the school literally right across the street from Notre Dame, the high school,” Fran McCaffery said. “We invited him to walk on. He was thrilled, didn't have any options, and ended up starting for us at the two guard position for two years.
“Here's a guy that I remember nobody wanted him, and I look out on the floor, and he's guarding Ray Allen. So it was a pretty big jump for Pete.”
McCaffery now feels the same way about Baer, just as Tom Davis felt about Moore’s improbable rise over 20 years ago.
There is satisfaction in knowing that you helped a player defy the odds and changed his life for the better.
“I think it’s about making the most of the opportunity of a lifetime and the lifetime of the opportunity,” Baer said. “Just understanding that there is always going to be opportunities for you out there and just make the most of them. I couldn’t be thankful enough to coach McCaffery for taking a chance on me and letting me come and be a part of the program.
I’ve loved every bit of it. All the highs and lows, I’ve become a better person for being in this program and really have grown a lot. I think you talk to anybody, college is a place where people go to grow in their formative years into adulthood. I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made to come here.”
Fran McCaffery feels the same about that decision.
Iowa vs. Rutgers
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV: Big Ten Network
Records: Rutgers is 13-14 overall and 6-11 in the Big Ten; Iowa is 21-7 and 10-7.
All-time series: Iowa is 6-1 against the Scarlet Knights, including 2-0 in Iowa City.