BLOOMINGTON – The spotlight finds Darryl Baker and he doesn't blink. He's 15 going on 20. He's a highly regarded basketball player who keeps perspective amid acclaim.

“I just let it come,” the Jeffersonville freshman guard says about the attention that includes chats with high-profile coaches such as Purdue's Matt Painter, Indiana's Tom Crean, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Ohio State's Thad Matta. “I don't focus on it. I put it to the side. When the time comes, I'll focus on it more.”

Focus can vanish when fame arrives before high school, as it did for Baker when he was proclaimed one of the nation's top players while still an eighth-grader.

“It was exciting then, now it's more of a business,” he said. “There's not much pressure about it. I'm used to it.”

He stands in Legacy Court as part of Indiana's sparkling new Cook Hall. He has just finished a 28-point effort that propelled his Team Southern Indiana Red squad past Club Elite 68-61 in Friday night's opening round of the adidas May Classic.

Not bad for a guy who has yet to play a high school basketball game. A broken tibia in his right leg cost him his entire high school freshman season. He hurt it while going up for a dunk in practice last November. He returned to on-court action last month in AAU competition. “I'm about 95 percent back,” he said.

Schools such as Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Butler and Xavier are recruiting him, although only Xavier has offered.

“He has unlimited potential,” Team Southern Indiana coach Sherron Wilkerson said. “The question for him is, how dedicated is he going to be? How much is he willing to sacrifice? That's where we're at right now. For any player at any level, it's always a struggle to give it your best every time you step onto the floor.”

As for the temptation that comes from too much acclaim, Wilkerson said Baker can handle it. The former Indiana player has known Baker since birth. He's a longtime friend with Baker's uncle, Theo Moore.

“Any time you're 15 years old and have this promising future,” Wilkerson said, “sometimes you can lose focus. It's important that he stays grounded. So far he's done a good job.

“He has always been that mature. It's kind of funny calling a 15-year-old mature. We all sometimes get our vision clouded, but for the most part he's done a good job. Especially in this age, the information age, it's not easy.”

Baker said no coach is pressuring him to make an early commitment. He recently visited Purdue and the conversation with Painter focused on education and the renovations to Mackey Arena. He's equally high on the Boilers and the Hoosiers. A cousin, Edward Wright-Baker, is a backup QB for IU and pitches the Hoosiers. Friends push both schools. “I hear it a lot and I just laugh,” he says.

Perspective, you see, sometimes starts with not taking yourself too seriously.