Being a part of the 1000 point club for basketball is a dream for every player who steps on the court.  Few players are ever able to accomplish this outstanding task, but senior Sam Baker is the most recent to do so.

Baker was six points away from the mark walking into the game while playing St. Louis Park on February 9.  The team knew it was going to be a grueling game against the city rival, and the ball just did not seem to fall for them.  “We should have been making those shots, and I feel like we definitely would have more of an opportunity to win the game towards the end,” Baker said.

After a slow first half from the Red Knights, they came out battling and in the early second half, Baker hit his 1000 point with a putback layup.  Finally, some of the weight could be off his shoulders for the season as he finally got those couple points.  “But there’s still definitely a big weight on my shoulders because being a senior now since it’s toward the end of the season and close to sections, we now have to start taking over stuff,” Baker said.

Baker has been having a solid year, totaling the most points on the team so far at 382 through 23 games.  Sam has been an impact player on the varsity team since his sophomore year after he made the jump from B-Squad in 9th grade.  For the past three years, he has put up over 300 points a year, allowing him to have that final push to reach his long-term goal of getting his name on the banner in the Haben Center.

The teams he has played on have impacted his game a ton, and one of those players is Eli Cave.  The two have been playing together for five years now, for BSM and their summer teams.  “It’s been an insane journey, we have been in many arguments in practice, just two competitors going at it.  He’s been working his butt off almost everyday and I’m beyond proud of my brother,” Cave said.

When Sam Baker’s name is up in the Haben, he will be with a new class of players, almost all who went on to compete at the collegiate level, and a couple even playing at the professional level either overseas or here in the United States.  

Winona State will be fortunate enough to have Sam Baker attending their school next year to play basketball.  His name, legacy, and accomplishments while playing for the Red Knights will forever be remembered as his name hangs on the west wall of the Haben Center.