- BYU guard Dawson Baker suffers major knee injury with complete ACL tear.
- Baker's injury adds to BYU's challenges after Nate Pickens' season-ending surgery.
- Baker expressed gratitude for fan support and determination to overcome the setback.
PROVO — BYU basketball's guard line got noticeably thinner Monday afternoon.
Dawson Baker, the sixth-year senior guard from Coto De Caza, California, announced Monday that MRI results from a knee injury last week showed a complete tear of the ACL, torn lateral meniscus, additional PCL and MCL damage, bone bruising, muscle and tendon strains and small impact fractures "to top it all off."
"Through all the heartbreak, tears and surgeries, this has been the hardest on me by far," said Baker, noting this will be the fifth time he "had to start everything all over again" due to injury.
Recovery from a torn ACL is usually 6-12 months, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The 6-foot-4 former UC Irvine transfer averaged 7.2 points per game on 46.1% shooting, including 38.4% from 3-point range and 78.3% from the free-throw line.
Baker started two of six games for the Cougars as a sixth-year senior in 2025-26, averaging 19.6 minutes per game and scoring a season-high 12 points in 23 minutes in an 86-84 loss to No. 3 UConn in Boston.
It's the second season-ending injury on the guard line for BYU, the No. 9-ranked team in the latest Associated Press Top 25 that started 6-1 with wins over Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami in last week's ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida.
That was the game where Baker fell in the final minutes and had to be helped off the court by teammates and head athletic trainer Rob Ramos. He watched the Cougars' win over Dayton from a wheelchair near BYU's bench.
"Life and sports are not always fair and I've found a lot of importance in my life finding peace in God's plan," Baker said in a statement. "But man, what a hard thing to do.
"There is no other fan base I would put my body through this extreme agony for," he added. "The amount of support and love that's been shown to me has been overwhelming and inspiring. I don't know what the future holds for me as there are a lot of decisions to be made — but know one thing, I am a fighter!"
BYU guard Nate Pickens was already on the mend after season-ending surgery, the team announced last month. The senior transfer from UC Riverside appeared in 97 games for the Highlanders, averaging 7.2 points on 73.2% shooting including 34.3% from deep.
