Posted on Feb 12, 2003

The women's basketball team, which has already earned its
place in the Union College history books, will attempt to rewrite the program's
remaining record this weekend against visiting Vassar (Friday at 8
p.m.) and Rensselaer (Saturday at 4 p.m.). The Dutchwomen's next victory will give them 19, surpassing the
18 wins established by the 2000-01 squad, which finished at 18-9 and is the only
team in 28-year history of the program to be invited to a postseason tournament.

Union's rise from the basement to the
penthouse of the basketball community has been a steady, year-by-year process in
which eighth-year head coach Mary Ellen Burt has nurtured and groomed her
players. She
has balanced a family-like atmosphere with a great deal of patience to create a
solid foundation and a bright future for this competitive program.

Of all the women on the current 14-player
roster, the one who epitomizes the growth of the Dutchwomen is junior forward
Kelly Baker. A back up
who averaged less than six minutes a game during her first two seasons, Baker is
tri-captain of this year's team and has provided the young squad with a “lead by
example” quality that has the Dutchwomen battling for first place in the Upstate
Collegiate Athletic Conference.

“Kelly has really blossomed this year,” said Burt, who
recruited Baker out of Mattituck-Cutchogue High School.
“Her first two years were tough because she was playing behind Beth Perry and Heather Bennett (both
of whom finished their careers on the Dutchwomen's all-time rebounding list).”Kelly also
had a long and serious bout
of mononucleosis that really limited her practice abilities and set her back
several months.”

But as is Baker's style, she didn't let her illness stop her progress. She
used the time on the sideline to learn about footwork and post moves and
watched, listened and improved her basketball IQ. When she was healthy enough to
return to physical activities, Baker committed herself to a vigorous
weight-training program.

Statistically, Baker would be easy to overlook. An opposing coach might
notice the 5'11 forward's team-leading 17 blocked shots, but her 3.5 scoring
average, her 4.0 rebounding average, her 21 assists and her 30 steals are in the
middle of the team's stat charts. But, look at the Dutchwomen on tape, and No.
22 certainly stands out.

“We don't look to Kelly to provide us with big numbers in any one or two
areas,” explained Burt. “We depend on her to give us solid all around defensive
play, to come up with some key rebounds, to move the ball, take a charge, and
get in our opponents' faces. We depend on Kelly to provide the energy and
determination that will force each one of her teammates and coaches to reach a
little deeper and give more to the effort when we feel like there is no more to
give.

“This year Kelly is seen as a leader both on and off
the court,” Burt continued. “The freshmen see how hard she works and they follow
right along. although only a junior, she has done a great job with being a
captain. Her intensity level is always high, and if Kelly is going to do
something, she is going to do it well.”

Baker's intensity carries over to other aspects of her life. Besides
basketball, the Cutchogue, New York, native is involved as a Junior Achievement
Volunteer Teacher, where she works with local first graders. She is a member of
Union's Economics Club, is on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, is an
outfielder for the defending champion co-ed intramural softball team, takes part
in various financial internships in order to gain experience in the financial
field, and is the financial advisor for the basketball team. Kelly works as a
Northeast Foster Care Volunteer, where she goes to the foster care center and
does various activities such as sports, arts and crafts, and most importantly,
talking with the children, and is among those involved in the organizational
stages of starting an Entrepreneurship Club at Union.

On top of all that, Kelly plays the harmonica, piano, & trombone. The
managerial economics major, who was one of Union's 15 student-athletes on this
winter's UCAA All-Academic Team (players must have a 3.2 cumulative grade point
average in order to qualify), is going a semester abroad to Germany this spring.

“The number of activities that Kelly is involved with on campus are quite impressive,” understates Burt. “She has a very good handle on time management, and that is also a great lesson she is passing on to the underclassmen. They see Kelly involved with so many things, working hard everyday, and that makes it hard for anyone else to slack off.”

It is no coincidence that Baker is one of the very few basketball players who has never been on a losing team at Union. While her two previous years in a Garnet uniform have produced records of 18-9 and 15-11, Baker sees a marked difference in this year's Dutchwomen.

“This is a free-spirited team,” she explains. “We are out to get better everyday and no adversity is going to hold us back. Despite our overall youth, maturity has never been a question. There is no such thing as a freshman on the team. Everyone plays hard, practices hard, and works hard in order to improve. Kate DeSorrento (a freshman), for example, has a dedication to the sport like I have never seen before. Everyday she comes out giving it her all and plays every minute like it's her last. That is the attitude that we have as a team.”

As a junior Baker is still in the process of making memories. Even so, the memories and the friendships that have been created during her first three seasons are, as she puts it, “innumerable!”

“The basketball team is my family away from home,” she says. “Right now I have 13 sisters at school with me, not to mention those girls that have graduated within the past two years, that I will always be in contact with, probably for the rest of my life. Previous captains, Meredith Chace and Beth Perry, are people I looked up to, and I hope I can be the kind of example to one of the younger girls that Meredith and Beth were to me.”

While the recent success has certainly been fun for Baker, the biggest lesson in life has come from her freshman year, the season in which illness caused her to miss 14 games.

“My first year at Union, the year I was sick with mono, was the first time in my life that I was not able to do physical activities,” Baker explains. “That made me realize how much people take their health for granted. From that point on I promised myself not to take my health for granted. As a result I've developed a keen work ethic, I am always striving to reach my potential, and not one day passes in which I am not grateful for being a part of this team.”

With a year and a half remaining as an undergraduate, Baker knows she made the right choice in selecting Union.

“Not one day has past in which I regretted coming to Union,” she says emphatically. “I have met so many remarkable people. The academics opportunities are great, the housing opportunities are excellent, and there is always something to do on campus. I could talk for hours on end about how much I love Union and how choosing this college is one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

The Dutchwomen play their final five regular-season games at home. Following this weekend's UCAA battles with Vassar and Rensselaer, Union hosts Williams on Tuesday, February 18 at 6 p.m. before closing out with St. Lawrence and Clarkson on February 21 and 22, respectively.