This Is Catawba College

Jim Baker - Head Coach
Jim Baker begins his 17th season as the head coach of the
men’s basketball program at Catawba. During his tenure, Baker
has guided the Indians to the NCAA II Tournament nine times.
His teams have won nearly 65% of their games and have an
impressive home record of 181-51 (78%). Catawba has a 99-58
record in games decided by five points or less under coach Baker.
Under Baker, Catawba has produced three conference Players of
the Year and two All-Americans. The Indians have graduated 49
of 53 seniors under Baker.
Last season, Catawba won it’s sixth SAC Championship under
Baker and advanced to the SAC Tournament title game for the
third year in a row. The Indians had won back-to-back SAC
Tourament titles in 2008 and 2009. Catawba has won a league or
tournament championship in six of the last seven seasons.
In 2006-07, 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 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 16 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 June
1993, as an assistant
coach during Sam Moir’s final 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 Champion -
ship 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 UNC-Charlotte. 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 and Two.” Baker 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 (8)
and Jacob (3).
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