Following Duquesne's loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Keith Dambrot was about ready to leave the table where he sat in front of a microphone to answer questions for his postgame zoom press conference. Just before he could head back to the locker room, he was asked about one of the younger players on his team: Freshman guard Chad Baker.
Baker, who's become a regular in the starting lineup, has been on quite the rollercoaster for the Dukes this season.
He’s had highs, earning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors after putting forth a solid performance in Duquesne’s win over Rhode Island. He’s also had lows, accumulating a team high three technical fouls this season, along with a flagrant one foul on Saturday that cost the Dukes some points and possession of the basketball.
When asked during the final moments of Saturday night's zoom call about Baker’s continued struggles when it came to keeping his composure, Dambrot took a deep breath as a serious look came over his face. He then sent a strong message to his talented but raw player.
“He’s got to do better,” Dambrot said. “He’s got to hold himself accountable, he’s got to do better. He’s got to grow up and put his big boy pants on.”
Just a game after getting called out by his head coach, Baker showed Dambrot - along with anyone else who was watching - that the message was received, leading Duquesne to an 86-62 road victory over Fordham on Wednesday evening.
“Guys felt really good today in warmups Today; even shooting earlier today in practice,” Baker said after the win. “We just came out here tonight and let it go. Thank God (our shots) started falling in. We’ve got to keep it like that from now on.”
Baker, who turned 21 on Wednesday, in the words of his coach, “celebrated his birthday in style.” The freshman guard scored a career best 23 points, which included seven three pointers. His performance behind the arc put him in an elite club, joining Eric Williams Jr. and Melquan Bolding as the only freshman in program history to hit seven or more triples in a game.
Despite Baker placing his name in the school record books, his head coach believes there is still a lot more he has to offer.
“As crazy as it sounds, he’s underachieving,” Dambrot said. “I have high expectations for talented people. That’s how I see it. When he finally decides he’s going to start working at this game and put everything he has into it, you’ll see something even better than this.”
Dambrot has coached many talented players throughout his career, including arguably the most talented individual to ever step foot on a basketball court. When discussing Baker’s potential, the Dukes head coach put him in the same conversation as his star pupil.
“LeBron [James] is going to be good Wednesday and Saturday,” Dambrot said. “Chad will be good Wednesday and be average on Saturday. I just named him in the same sentence (as LeBron), so that’s what I expect from him.”
Baker and Dambrot spoke about their relationship on Wednesday evening. While each had a different point of view, both agreed that they want the freshman to make the most of his opportunity in Uptown.
“When I first got to Duquesne coach Dambrot asked me if I wanted to be great. I was like ‘coach, I left everything back home to make it.’ He said he was really going to be hard on me. I told him to do what he had to do to get me to that next level. If that means he has to yell in my face, even when I’m right, he can, because at the end of the day, I just want to become better.”
“He drives me nuts sometimes but he generally listens,” Dambrot said. “He’s just scratching the surface though, he’s a virgin right now. He’s a guy that should be the best defender, should be the best passer, should be the best ball handler, should be the best shooter.”
If you were to go back and watch Dambrot on the Sidelines during Wednesday’s game, you will see that high standard being enforced. Despite Baker playing his best yet on both ends of the floor, Dambrot did not relent on pushing him to be even better. He even admitted so after the game.
“I was killing him tonight,” Dambrot said with a smile. “He’s flinging them in and I’m yelling at him, ‘that’s two in a row he drove you!’ He’s got to have more pride. If you’re a great player you’ve got to have more pride.”
The areas that Baker must improve in can be debated. What can’t be debated is the fact that he and his teammates looked the best they had all season on Wednesday. As Baker, along with a handful of other freshman continue to “grow up” throughout the rest the season, Dukes fans should be excited about what is in store for the years to come.
