It's a new era at Duke and in college basketball. So the Blue Devils have created a new position.
First-year men's basketball coach Jon Scheyer hired Rachel Baker, a former Nike and NBA executive, as the program's first general manager in order to help players navigate the new name, image and likeness opportunities.
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In July, the NCAA changed its rules, allowing athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.
"The state of college basketball is growing and changing at an exponential rate," said Scheyer, a former Duke player and assistant coach who replaced the retiring Mike Krzyzewski at the end of the season. "Rachel is a one-of-a-kind talent with unique experience that will provide our players and their families with an unparalleled resource and partner as we navigate new frontiers of college basketball together."
Baker, who played lacrosse at La Salle University, worked for eight years at Nike. She led marketing work around the culture of basketball and athlete development. Baker also spent time working with Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League and with NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, who is one of six signature athletes for Nike. During her one-year with the NBA, she worked on rebranding the WNBA and marketing efforts around the NBA's All-Star Game and draft combine.
"We're in the middle of such a transformative moment—not only for Duke, but for the college basketball landscape—and the chance to be part of it is the opportunity of a lifetime," Baker said in a news release.