www.e-TIMEOUT.com

In 2006-2007, Baker was voted SAC Coach of the Year for the

fifth time as Catawba won the league title and earned a spot in

the NCAA II Regional Tournament. In 2004-05, Baker earned SAC

Coach of the Year honors as the Indians claimed the conference

title and advanced to the NCAA II Tournament. In 2004,

Catawba became the lowest seed (#7) to win the league tournament,

earning a regional tournament berth. After a 25-5 season

and a third South Atlantic Conference title in 2001, Baker was

named league Coach of the Year. Baker was named SAC and

NCAA II Region Coach of the Year in 1998, after Catawba posted

a 25-6 record. He also earned SAC Coach of the Year honors in

1996, after he guided the Indians to their first conference title

since 1983. His 16 victories in his first season was the most ever

for a first-year basketball coach at Catawba. He has a 306-166

record over his first sixteen seasons and ranks second all-time

in coaching victories at Catawba.



Baker came to Catawba from Virginia Military Institute, where

he had been an assistant coach for two seasons. He also had

NCAA Division I experience as an assistant at Virginia Tech

(1989-91) and Davidson (1981-89). Baker came to Catawba in

campaign as head coach. Moir retired in May 1994, ending

a great 34-year career at Catawba. Baker, a dean’s list student at

Catawba before graduating in 1978, played for Moir

from 1975-78. He transferred from UNC-Charlotte and was a part

of two 20-win seasons at Catawba. He was a member of the

1976-77 Carolinas Conference Championship team and three of

his former teammates, Benny Callahan, Eric Harris and Herman

Miles are in the Catawba Sports Hall of Fame.

Baker began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for

Moir in 1978-79 and at Wingate the next year, while earning a

master’s degree in human development and learning at UNCCharlotte.

He was also an assistant coach at Belmont Abbey

(1980-81).

Baker worked under Bobby Hussey at Davidson, Frankie Allen

at Virginia Tech and Joe Cantafio at VMI. At Davidson, Baker was

part of a program which graduated 25 of 26 student athletes. In

addition, the Wildcats put together back-to-back 20-win seasons

(1986-87) and appeared in the 1986 NCAA Southeast Regional.

While Baker was at Virginia Tech, the Hokies became only the

third team in Metro Conference history to sweep both Memphis

State and Louisville in the same year. At VMI, Baker was responsible

for recruiting, scouting, practice and bench coaching, public

speaking, summer camps and scheduling.

All of VMI’s seniors graduated during Baker’s stay there and he

was part of an outstanding recruiting class in 1992-93, which saw

three freshmen make the starting lineup.

In addition to editing and publishing a monthly basketball

newsletter (“Time Out”), Baker has published four booklets:

“Power Post Play,” “Striving for Excellence,” and “The Best of

Time Out, Books One thur Six.” Baker also released a one

of a kind basketball CD-Rom “The Best of Time Out”.

Baker’s ties to the international players in his program come

from doing camps and clinics abroad. He has conducted both

camps and clinics in Belgium, France, Iceland, Luxembourg,

Barbados and Costa Rica. He has also served as the U.S. advisor

to the Belgium Women’s Olympic basketball team.

Baker comes from a strong sports family. Both his mother and

father were outstanding athletes and his dad, Walt, coached him

at North Rowan High School where he graduated in 1974. The

field house at North Rowan is named in his dad’s honor. His

brother, Chip, is a longtime assistant baseball coach at Florida

State.

Baker and his wife, the former Tina Waters, reside in Concord.

They have four children, Jamie (12), Madison (9) and Hannah (7)