California hires Baker as boys basketball coach

Brent Baker doesn’t want to be called doc, doctor or Dr. Baker, but the recently hired California boys basketball coach wants his team to play lock-down defense to complement their athleticism and scoring and continue to improve throughout the season.

Baker, a research scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (NIOSH), was on Brandon Lawless’ staff at Jefferson-Morgan before deciding to apply for the job at California.

“It was a tough decision for me to make,” Baker said. “I would say Brandon and I formed a brotherhood more than a friendship, so I had to speak with my family and him about it.

“I was the football coach at Jefferson-Morgan two years back and had Brandon on my staff,” Baker said. “I also coached him when he was in seventh grade. He has done a great job there and I hope I can do the same thing for California.”

Baker, who does his work in Morgantown, knows the Trojans have the capabilities to score, but the old saying, “defense wins championships,” holds true for the 1996 graduate of Albert Gallatin.

“I am very excited to see what we can do,” Baker said. “I see a similar situation with what Coach Lawless and I had at Jefferson-Morgan in that he had a team that could score, but the defense wasn’t always there. We may not have won all the time, but we were always in games at Jefferson-Morgan with our defense, and that is going to be our focus.”

Baker’s day job may not teach the Xs and Os of basketball, but it focuses on the science that helps to build the better athlete.

“We want to build a better athlete, and when you focus on athletes, there are different levels that start with the elite, and we have seen them all,” Baker said. “I am very passionate and would do this for free. I want to be a resource for these kids and help them make life lessons.”

Baker already has familiarity with California athletics, as he is an assistant on Ed Woods’ football staff.

“Coach Woods and I are there 12 months a year,” Baker said. “With small schools, sports carry over and there are kids on the football team that I would love to have on the basketball team. I am planning on meeting with the parents and kids to get things rolling. I also want to get an opening gym schedule.”