EDWARDSVILLE – Ke’Vonnna Baker, a sophomore point guard for a very young Belleville West girls' basketball team, has provided a skill set and leadership qualities to the 2024-2025 Maroons squad. She has emerged as a player to watch for in the future.
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The Maroons currently sit at 5-14 after back-to-back losses to Edwardsville on Jan. 15, 2025, 52-21, and to O’Fallon on Jan. 17, 2025, 63-14. In the Edwardsville contest, Baker showed flashes of brilliance throughout the game with her ball-handling skills that allowed her to score nine points as the team’s top scorer of the night. For the season, she’s averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, going along with seven assists, 10 steals, and two blocked shots.
West is indeed a young team that is taking its setbacks now, but is looking to become a team to watch for down the road, making things now all worth everything in the end.
Especially during a run in the third quarter, Baker showed some dazzling skills with the ball and is going to be a key to making her a player to watch in the future.
“It takes time and effort," Baker said of her development.
Going forward, Baker has a simple philosophy that she’s going to be taking to the court the remainder of the season.
“I want to just keep my head up and not let people get to me,” Baker said. “When I got onto the floor, I said 'OK, we’re going to have to learn how to keep our heads up, and communicate and talking.' We as a team have to keep our heads up, that’s all I can say."
Maroons coach Janelle Kihn said in an earlier interview that good things come to those who work hard. It’s something that Baker is taking to heart, along with some advice from her mother.
“Practice hard, and compete,” Baler said of what both her mom and coach tell her. “Don’t let anyone get to you. That’s one thing that my mother told me, don’t let anyone get into your head. Just get up in the gym, and shoot.”
