
In a time when so many long-tenured coaches become content, Jim Baker is the type who doesn’t shy away from a new challenge. Across 40 years, he enjoyed consistent success coaching in the college (Catawba College) and high school (Central Cabarrus) ranks. Baker spent nearly two decades in the collegiate game before his next endeavor—Central Cabarrus. Following some initial struggles in his first two seasons and a winning record in year three, things took somewhat of a unique turn…
While the pandemic was causing widespread panic and general hysteria throughout the country, Baker prepared for the winningest stretch of his coaching career. Although there were several factors involved with their success, the arrival of twin brothers Carson and Chase Daniel clearly changed the trajectory of the Vikings’ program. That duo combined with Jaiden Thompson, Desmond Kent, Gavin Bullock, Josh Dalton, multiple key role players, and a distinct structure led to an incredible run. Over the next four seasons, Coach Baker’s teams went 107-3.

After reaching a new peak of success and advancing numerous players to the next level, he wasn’t really itching to start something new. However, an unforeseen opportunity arose. Baker recalls the process, “I wasn’t necessarily looking to leave Central Cabarrus. Two of my former Catawba players, Dominick Reed and Kelvin Drakeford, were coaching at Cannon. After conversations with Dom, he expressed the school was open to an outside hire. Soon thereafter, the athletic director called and we had a great conversation.”
It might seem like an easy decision for some, particularly the concept of parlaying historical success into a new job, but it wasn’t that cut and dry for Baker. His son, Jake, was at Central Cabarrus for his entire high school career and ultimately became a vital piece for the varsity squad. Should he stay at Central with Jake or join forces at Cannon? Coach Baker felt the new-look Vikings were improving each day and gradually beginning to hit their stride. Conversely, there were no certainties or guarantees so a meaningful deliberation process would be vital for the father and son.
Coach Baker says he didn’t want to try and influence his son in any way, stating, “I really wanted him to make his own decision, and we didn’t talk much about it. A few days after Jake and I visited Cannon, he decided he wanted to make the move.” He laughs and says, “I figured I might still have a few years left in the tank as well.” Even after having decades of success, he still maintains an uncommon level of modesty.
While it might seem like a drastic transition going from coaching in public school versus private school, his college coaching experience more than prepared him for the differences. He states, “Cannon is certainly different as a private school, but my past endeavors helped prepare me for this journey. When I took the position, we got in so late that it was difficult to put kids through the process and get guys into the school. We don’t offer athletic scholarships like some programs but we do have opportunities within financial aid.” Even still, one would think that a highly successful program like Cannon would have plenty of talent at its disposal. Despite not having a ton of battle-tested veterans, Baker speaks highly of his new group, “The kids we had in the program had very little varsity experience. We opened up with a brutal schedule and it’s been a challenging process, but I think our team is buying into what we are doing.”
He says, “It’s impossible to compare this group to our team at Central, but it’s inevitable. Our teams at Central were averaging over 80 PPG and holding opponents under 50 PPG. Here at Cannon, we are scoring over 80 PPG but giving up too many points. We are turning people over, so that’s really good. Defensively, we aren’t quite where we were [at Central]. I try to use the two different teams and programs to help kids understand how to win. Dropping our turnovers and increasing the turnovers we force has been a vital reason for our improvement.” Baker also stresses the significance of culture and remarks how that made his previous teams so special, “I got to Central Cabarrus and the culture was awful. Things gradually improved over the foreseeable future. As guys like Jaiden, Carson, Chase, Gavin, Josh, Desmond, and others came through, it naturally took effect, and winning basketball followed closely behind.”

Regarding his current squad, it’s easy to appreciate their structure. It could be said that each of Sean Nix, Keenan Dixon, and Evan Ingram are all having breakout seasons. Nix has clearly taken a step forward as a strong, skilled, intelligent guard and should be a real target for coaches over the coming years. Dixon has arguably benefitted more than anyone this season, both in terms of production and appeal to next-level programs. Ingram is in a perfect position to excel as a versatile utility guy who can consistently impact all facets of the game and carry a meaningful scoring load. Each averaging at least 20 PPG, the trio accounts for just over 75% of the team’s total scoring. Additionally, Jake Baker is effectively running the show and setting the tone as a leader while averaging an impressive nine assists per game. After losing six straight to open the season, the Cougars have won 8 of their last 9 contests (including four games eclipsing the 100-point mark).
Through it all, Coach Baker speaks with a lot of optimism about this team and his future on the sidelines, “It’s definitely been a process. Everything is starting to come together. We aren’t really deep. We have four sophomores and a freshman working themselves into the mix. That said, our guys have been great. I think we can get it going here. Folks are calling about Cannon. People like to score points and we certainly like to do that. Winning is hard, but it’s better than working and I’m having a lot of fun here.”