One thing that UCA Men’s Basketball player Jaxson Baker never takes for granted is the community that has shaped him. From his parents to his coaches to his teammates, he remains grateful for each individual role they have played in his life.

“To get to this point it seems pretty easy once you’re here, but when you think about it from a 50,000-foot level, there’s a bunch of people who would want to be here and be in our shoes. So, you can’t take anything for granted and you got to be thankful for who helped you get here,” Baker said.

His parents have been Baker’s biggest supporters on his journey to his basketball career. “My family sacrificed a lot for me to get to this position, so making them proud is a huge goal of mine,” Baker said.

His father, who also played collegiate basketball, is someone he seeks out for advice, while his mother was influential in Baker’s love for the game.

“When I was really little, I think [my mother] helped me develop the love of sports that I have. We would always be playing sports at the house. She was kind of like my best friend,” Baker said.

Growing up, sports was just a hobby for Baker. Through his involvement in club basketball, Baker began to hone his skills and discover that it was the sport for him.

“I wouldn’t say that I was destined to be a collegiate basketball player, but here I am. I’ve worked hard to get here. So, living up to my own expectations of myself and achieving goals and dreams that I wouldn’t necessarily think to be a reality [is important],” Baker said.

Although this is Baker’s third year at UCA, he is a sophomore due to being red-shirted his first year. Baker could potentially continue to play for UCA for three more years due to COVID-19 setbacks.

“I’m trying to play basketball as long as I can. If that’s what’s necessary, I’ll be here for three more years,” Baker said.

Although Baker balanced other options, with the likes of the Air Force and Houston Baptist, the University of Central Arkansas was the final choice for him. “It was a great choice all around for UCA. It kind of all worked out,” Baker said.

His teammates made this decision a little easier. “I feel like a big part of why I’m happy here is that our team is very close. We all get along super well. On the court, we can work hard, and off the court, we can always hang out and have a good time,” Baker said.

Rather than focusing on his individual goals during this 2021 season, the team’s goal of winning conference and going to the NCAA tournament takes precedence.

“We’ve never done that before as a program, and we all think that we’re super capable of that. At the end of the day, I really only care about our team goal and to do whatever I can to get us to that point,” Baker said.

In Baker’s future, he hopes to continue his basketball career, but he is taking every day as it comes. “The thing about basketball is that it can change really quickly. I guess it is a goal of mine to get to the highest level, so we’ll see but it will take some more time,” Baker said.