McCANDLESS, Pa. -- Many people can relate to the feeling one experiences when losing a loved one. Few people have to compete just hours after they hear the bad news.
That was the unfortunate situation Duquesne freshman Chad Baker was placed in prior to the start of Wednesday's contest against Rhode Island.
As the team arrived to the Kerr Fitness Center for the pregame shoot-around, Baker was informed that his friend, who is also named Chad, had tragically passed away. Overcome with emotion, he spoke with his head coach as the rest of the team began to warm up. Far away from the rest of his friends and family, Baker looked to Keith Dambrot for guidance.
Dambrot's message to him was simple: Play in his honor.
"That’s where relationships become important," Dambrot said. "I told him, ‘look man, you’ve got to play this game for your friend now. There’s nothing you can do other than playing in honor of him.’ He played well."
Baker delivered his best performance in his short collegiate career, scoring a career-best 19 points, leading the Dukes to a second half comeback victory over the Rams by a final of 71-69.
“It felt amazing," Baker said. "To be honest, in previous games I was struggling. I wasn’t really back in my mind, how I was supposed to be. Coach D pulled me back and told me that it was okay. He told me that I needed to keep learning the process and trust the process. Thankfully, because of him today I had a great shooting day.”
Baker's 'great' shooting day was nearly one for the record books. The freshman finished the game shooting 5-for-5 from three-point range, falling just two more triples shy of the school record for the best three-point shooting percentage in a game, which belongs to James Hargrove who shot a perfect 7-for-7 against Robert Morris on Dec. 10, 1991.
Emotional after the victory, Baker reflected upon the memories he had with his friend, most of which took place on a basketball court.
“He used to work at Chick-Fil-A," Baker said. "He’d come right out of work, still in his uniform and we’d go right to the park and hoop all day. This kid was a hustler. Rest in peace brother.”
Baker added that he will be playing the remainder of his season in honor of his fallen friend. While his performance on Wednesday night was certainly special, both Baker and Dambrot believe it's something that can be replicated.
"He played really well and he’s capable of that," Dambrot said. "He’s just a youngster. His whole thing is going to be consistency of effort on a daily basis. If he can become consistent and disciplined, he’s going to be a good player.”
When Baker first stepped foot on campus, there were few people that expected him to play such a significant role this season. He was one of many talented freshman looking to fight their way into a rotation filled with returning starters and lettermen.
Prior to the departure of Sincere Carry and Lamar Norman Jr., it would've been easy for Baker to view his first season with the Dukes as an opportunity to just take things slow and learn. Yet, when asked about what his plans were coming into his freshman season, Baker delivered a response that was entirely opposite to that line of thinking.
“My whole mindset coming here was that I didn’t leave my island just to come here and sit on the bench," Baker, who is a native of the Dominican Republic, said. "I came here with the mindset of, ‘okay, I’m going to put in the work, anything that I have to do to get on the court.’ Today I got my opportunity. I’ve gotten opportunities in the past couple of games but today I took advantage of it. My shots just kept hitting.”
If Baker's jump shots can keep hitting the way they were on Wednesday night, the Dukes season might not be over just yet. Duquesne shot a season best 50% from the field against the Rams. Senior forwards Michael Hughes and Marcus Weathers were both able to deliver strong performances under the basket thanks to the Rhode Island defense also having to worry about Baker being open around the perimeter.
Perhaps Baker is the answer to the Dukes' offensive woes. There is no way to tell if he is or isn't just yet. All that we know at the moment is that when faced with a brutally harsh reality, he stepped up and delivered a performance that made his teammates, his coach and likely even his friend, Chad, proud.
