Baker stepped into Na'Haviya Paxton’s shoes, leading Columbia’s rebuild as the new point guard
Eriel Baker had big shoes to fill this season.
Columbia’s sophomore point guard was tasked with replacing Na’Haviya Paxton, who was a 3-time LCR Player of the Year and one of the best to suit up in program history. But Baker never tried to be like Paxton.
Instead, Baker found her own niche on the team and became one of the key cogs in the Tigers’ rebuild.
Baker was handed the keys to the offense this season and she didn’t disappoint. She flashed her potential and put together the most complete season of any player in the area, averaging 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and area-best 3.6 assists.
And Baker was arguably the best player defensively too, snatching an area-best 3.9 steals per game while smacking 1.4 blocks. Those numbers have earned her the honor of LCR Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
It was a huge step forward from Baker’s freshman campaign when she scored just 2.3 points per game as a role player off the bench. She credits Paxton partly for giving her the confidence to make the leap to the top player on the Tigers.
“Na’Haviya was a great leader,” Baker said. “My freshman year, she set a great example for me and how I was supposed to lead for my upcoming sophomore year. I think with her I was just able to do the best I could because I had a great example.”
It wasn’t just her play on the floor that separated Baker from everybody else though. Head coach Anthony Perry pointed to Baker’s leadership as the most important factor in her improvement as a player this season, which had its ups and downs as the Tigers finished with a 10-13 record.
It was exactly what he needed from his new starting point guard.
“She showed a growth in the area of leadership, and she knew she had to do that for us to be successful,” Perry said. “So even though she has a lot of work to do, she stepped up in a lot of areas to be the leader this year. That was the biggest difference I saw and that kind of translated over into her performance this year as well.
“It almost was going to decide whether we were going to tank or at least stay afloat. And she knew that coming in. We needed it 100 percent.”
Baker scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 19 points in a 43-32 win over Oak Hall. She also stepped up big in both wins over rival Fort White, averaging 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 6.5 steals and two blocks in the two matchups.
And although Baker has a way to go to be the triple-double threat Paxton was, she did finish the year with two double-doubles.
“I really took it day by day,” Baker said. “With the girls, we just went out there and had fun and did what we were taught to do by our coaches and just produced.”
Baker was part of a very young squad this season, one of three starting sophomores on a roster that also counted on a pair of freshmen for significant minutes. It’s partly why Columbia had an uneven season, starting the year 5-3 before losing four straight only to then win four of the next five.
But the Tigers lost five of their six games to finish under .500 for the second straight season. It was also the second year in a row Columbia missed the playoffs.
The Tigers were inconsistent by definition, but Baker wasn’t. Perry expected her to take the leap she did, noting she kept them in the right direction even though it was a tough rebuild with a young squad.
“I told her, ‘listen, we’re going to go as you go,’” Perry said. “If she didn’t step up and do all those things we needed — communicate, score — when necessary and keep the defense in the game, we would’ve dropped a lot this year as far as wins and losses.”
Despite finishing under .500, Columbia was still the highest ranked team in the area thanks to playing the toughest schedule in the area. The hope is that the lumps the Tigers took this year will benefit them next season when they’re a year older, but Baker says their improvement has to start this offseason.
And as the new leader of the team, she plans to make that happen.
“I feel like everyone needs to take this summer and work on themselves individually and work on their skills,” Baker said. “And right before the season comes around, we need to get together as a team. We know how to play together really well, but we need to put all those individual skills together and play as a unit and we’ll be fine.”
Baker hopes to achieve a goal Paxton never quite could. While Paxton led Columbia to three straight playoff appearances, the Tigers never won a district title with her at point guard.
Columbia hasn’t won a district championship since 1999, a drought Baker hopes to end, not just for the program but also for Paxton.
“Last year was real upsetting because Na’Haviya and them were seniors and that was their last year,” Baker said. “We were really hopeful we were going to win a district championship that year and we just fell a little short. But we’re going for it by the time I graduate.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
G: Eriel Baker
Columbia, Sophomore
The LCR’s Player of the Year put together the most complete season of any player in the area. As the Tigers point guard and arguably best perimeter defender in the area, she averaged 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, an area-best 3.6 assists and tied for an area-best 3.9 steals to go with 1.4 blocks.
G: Ayesha Broxey
Columbia, Sophomore
The Tigers’ top outside shooter hit an area-best 30 3-pointers and averaged a team-high 12.7 points to go with 2.4 steals.
F: Jolena Gardner
Columbia, sophomore
The Tigers’ go-to post player had seven double-doubles and one triple-double, averaging 10 points with team-highs of 8.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while tying for an area-best 3.9 steals.
F: Isreal Hart
Fort White, sophomore
Averaged a team-best 5.6 rebounds and an area-best 3.4 blocks while scoring 10.3 points and nabbing 2.1 steals to help the Indians finish 13-10.
G: Zjamyah Wilson
Branford, sophomore
Averaged an area-best 13.8 points and led the Buccaneers with 1.6 blocks (most among guards in area) to go with 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals, registering four double-doubles to help her team finish 11-11.
G: Kiley Beach
Lafayette, sophomore
Averaged a team-high 12.9 points while hitting 29 3-pointers to go with 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals to help the Hornets finish 11-11.
COACH OF THE YEAR
DeShay Harris, Fort White
Harris led the Indians to an area-best record of 13-10 before resigning after the season. Fort White just missed making back-to-back playoff appearances, finishing one spot out in fifth in Region 3-1A. The Indians went 5-0 against Suwannee, Branford and Lafayette and played Columbia closer than they have in years, losing two matchups by a combined eight points.