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Jim Baker's Head Coach Bio 1994-2024

Jim Baker took over as the head coach for the Catawba men's basketball program in 1994 and his overall record stands at 344-236.  During his tenure, Baker has guided the Indians to the NCAA II Tournament nine times, won 6 South Atlantic Conference Championships, and won 6 South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championships. His teams have won just over 60% of their games and have an impressive home record of 198-74 (73%). Catawba had a 108-70 record in games decided by five points or less under Baker. Baker produced three conference Players of the Year and three All-Americans, while graduating 60 of 64 seniors.

In 2009-10, Catawba won its sixth SAC Championship under Baker and advanced to the SAC Tournament title game for the third straight year. That year marked the fourth straight trip to the NCAA II Tournament for the Tribe which won league titles in 2007 and 2010, while winning back-to-back SAC Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009.  

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 with 344 wins.  Of the 25 championships won in basketball at Catawba College, Jim Baker was a part of 13....12 as head coach and 1 as a player!

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 Championship 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 eight books: “Power Post Play,” “Striving for Excellence,” and “The Best of Time Out, Book One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six.” Baker has also released a one of a kind basketball CD-Rom “The Best of Time Out”. Baker just released a two new books entitled, "Why Winners Win and Losers Lose", which is a collection of motivational and leadership concepts he has developed over his coaching career and "The Process" -Taking the Stairs to Achieve Something Great.

Baker’s ties to the international players in his program come from doing camps and clinics abroad. For eighteen straight years, he conducted both camps and coaching clinics in Belgium, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Barbados and Costa Rica. He has also served as the U.S. adviser to the Belgium Women’s Olympic basketball team.

Baker was named Head Basketball Coach at Central Cabarrus HS in the fall 2017.

Baker was named Head Basketall Coach at the Cannon School in the summer of 2024.

Baker was inducted into the Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame in October 2021 and the Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

Baker was named the Head Basketball Coach at the Cannon School in August of 2024.

In October 2024, Baker received the Catawba College Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement.

In May 2025, Baker was inducted into The South Atlantic Conference Soprts Hall of Fame.

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/director of operations at Florida State. Baker and his wife, the former Tina Waters, reside in Concord. They have four children, Jamie (played basketball at Presbyterian and AppState Uni, Graduate Assistant University of Alabama, now Assistant Coach Kennesaw State), Madison (gymnast SUNY Brockport- Coaching gymnastics), Hannah (gymnast Converse Uni.) and Jacob (basketball Central Cabarrus HS and Cannon School).

JIM BAKER COACHING CAREER

CANNON SCHOOL HEAD COACH 2024-PRESENT

CENTRAL CABARRUS HIGH SCHOOL  HEAD COACH 2017-2024

CATAWBA COLLEGE  HEAD COACH  1994-2014

CATAWBA COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH 1993-1994

VIRGINA MILITARY INST. ASSISTANT COACH 1991 -1993

VIRGINIA TECH ASSISTANT COACH 1989-91

DAVIDSON COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH 1981-1989

BELMONT ABBEY ASSISTANT COACH 1980-81

WINGATE UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT COACH 1979-1980

CATAWBA COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH 1978-1979

EDUCATION:

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE 1981 MA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING

CATAWBA COLLEGE 1978 BA HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION