Photo of Lauren Baker playing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament by Neil Faux/Faux Fx
Despite growing up in the basketball-obsessed state of Kentucky, UMHB guard Lauren Baker says she wasn’t drawn to the sport early on.
Instead, her passion was music and band, particularly playing the drums. That is, until she picked up basketball as a high school freshman. From that point on, Baker says the ball never really stopped bouncing, as her success on the court has carried into her three seasons in Belton.
“It’s crazy,” Baker told True To The Cru recently. “At a certain point, I caught an interest in basketball. Once I picked up the ball, I never really put it down. I fell in love with the game then.”
That passion has been evident to all who have seen her performances on the court, particularly this season. On Saturday, eight years after she stepped onto the court for the first time, Baker will lead the UMHB women’s basketball team into its first ASC championship game appearance in the 2020-21 season, as The Cru battles top-seeded Hardin-Simmons at 2 p.m. in Abilene. Baker’s contributions are part of why the Crusaders are 21-5, with a chance to become just the fourth team in program history to reach 22 wins in a season.
“I’m just trying to stay present, and do whatever it takes to make this season the best season it could be,” Baker, who is in her senior season with The Cru, said. “I’ve taken more of a leadership role, and I’ve just tried to keep the perspective that not everyone gets to do this, and we only have a certain amount of time to do it. So we just have to make the most of what’s in front of us.”
What is immediately ahead is undoubtedly UMHB’s most intense game of the season up to this point, facing a familiar foe in HSU. But a quick glance into the past several months reveals exactly why Baker will be key for The Cru on Saturday, and why her on-court performance has been worth the mention.
A 5-foot-3 guard, the comparison between Baker’s 2022-23 stats and her current numbers through 26 contests accurately display her growth from her junior to senior seasons. In 22.3 minutes per game this year, Baker has converted on 25 more field-goals, 15 more 3-pointers, tallied 10 more steals, and is averaging 11.2 points per game.
All of that to say, Baker is playing the best basketball of her collegiate career, and there was no better showcase of that than in the 20-point performance against Hardin-Simmons exactly a week ago. The senior guard stepped up with several timely shots, and finished 9-of-13 from the field in the second-highest scoring performance of her UMHB career.
But it hasn’t been all offense for Baker this season. Her defense and rebounding has seen noticeable growth, too, something she credits to first-year head Katie Novak-Lenoir.
“Coach Novak has really made us focus on defense and rebounding,” Baker said. “I think I’ve always had the athleticism to do it, but thought because of my size, I couldn’t. But she’s made me realize that I can do it because of the athleticism that I have.”
One of the things Novak-Lenoir brought with her to Belton is the idea of “hustle points”, keeping track of stats such as deflected passes in practice. It places an emphasis on the intangibles of the sport, the elements that don’t show up on the box score, and goes hand-in-hand with the coaching staff’s emphasis on toughness, particularly on the defensive end. That is something Baker has worked to embrace throughout this season, as she has made an effort to improve in that aspect.
“I’ve always loved playing defense,” Baker added. “But like I said, because of my size, I always thought I wasn’t the best at it. But this year, I’ve really embraced guarding the ball and being in help-side and helping my teammates out. The hustle points we keep at practice—getting deflections, steals, rebounds, and all of that—I think that helps us win overall as a team. If everybody can do that, we’re unstoppable. We can score the ball, but it’s getting into playing defense, getting those rebounds, and making it happen on the defensive side of the ball.”
Interestingly, while UMHB was not her first collegiate stop—she began her career at NAIA SAGU—Baker was the first of anyone on the current roster to play alongside leading scorer Arieona Rosborough. The duo teamed up at Lake Ridge High School (Mansfield, Texas) from 2017-2019, and to a degree, Rosborough is responsible for sparking Baker’s interest in joining the UMHB program.
“We actually saw each other at an alumni event and she told me I should come [to UMHB],” Baker remembers. “So I spoke with [former UMHB head coach Mark] Morefield and made it happen. I love the fact that I came and I’ve enjoyed the process, even through the coaching change. It’s been a great experience overall.”
Over the last two-and-a-half seasons since Baker joined the program as a mid-year transfer in January 2022, she and Rosborough have formed one of the best backcourts in the ASC. Both are dynamic guards, who complement each other’s skill sets.
“She’s always been a go-getter,” Baker said, when asked about her memories of playing with Rosborough in high school. “She’s been a great player overall, but I’ve seen growth. Not just in her game, but in her leadership, too. When I first met her, she was very quiet and soft-spoken and let her work speak for her. But now, she’s very vocal.”
Baker stepped onto the court at Lake Ridge having played basketball for only a handful of years up to that point. Yet, she established herself as one of the team’s assist leaders, seeing the court and all of its moving parts remarkably well. She readily admits that it was challenging starting the sport so late compared to most of her peers, but also sees positives in the experience when reflecting on her early years in basketball.
“The upside was the fact that I came in more as a reactive player,” Baker said. “I reacted off of what I know is a God-given ability and what I saw, rather than the fundamentals. But also, I didn’t get the fundamentals that everyone else got. It took me a little bit longer to get those things. But once I got with the right trainers and right coaching staffs, I feel like my game excelled.”
The development has continued throughout her college career, and whether it means coming off the bench, as she has for the last three games, or being in the starting lineup, Baker has established herself within the rotation. More than her individual role, being part of this team in her final season is something that will remain meaningful for years to come. And the season isn’t over yet.
“I really have enjoyed playing with my teammates and being coached by Coach Novak and Coach Abby [Spurgin]. I wouldn’t have wanted to have had my senior year with any other team. They’ve been some of the best people I’ve played basketball with, not only on the court, but off the court as well. They’re just great people in general.”
