Harcum College guard Amaris Baker, a Cardinal O’Hara grad, commits to Drexel

The sophomore guard is returning to Division I hoops after playing one year at Harcum College, a junior college in Bryn Mawr.

Sophomore Amaris Baker averaged 27 points for Harcum College and is taking her talents to Drexel.Read moreJACKIE PURSELL

by Isabella DiAmore

Published April 12, 2023, 5:16 p.m. ET

During a phone call between Harcum College’s Amaris Baker and Drexel women’s basketball coach Amy Mallon last week, Mallon told Baker that players who come through her program and work hard have seen success.

Those words resonated with the sophomore guard, who’s been searching for a Division I program after playing one year at the junior college level.

“I knew that was me,” Baker told The Inquirer on Wednesday. “I worked so hard. ... [Mallon] loves that I’m a three-level scorer and a leader, so it would definitely transfer over well. I think about [former Drexel star] Keishana Washington, who entered the WNBA draft, like I could definitely do that.”

After the conversation, Mallon offered the South Philly native and Cardinal O’Hara graduate a scholarship, and, on Tuesday, she announced her commitment to join the Dragons next season.

Like Washington, Baker is a 5-foot-7 guard who was one of the top scorers in the country this season. Washington was the No. 3 scorer in Division I with 27.7 points per game but went undrafted Monday night.

Baker, who was the NJCAA Division II leading scorer with 27 points per game and a first-team All-American this season, joined the Bears after a year at Kennesaw State, where she averaged 15 minutes and three points in 28 games.

She sought out a program closer to home, but with little interest in the transfer portal, Baker decided to take an alternate path, and she feels it was one of the best decisions she made.

“I definitely feel confident. That was a piece of me that really grew” Baker said. “You have that confidence, you can do anything that you put your mind too, and as long as I worked hard physically, like staying in shape, that’s definitely what elevated me.”

At Harcum, Baker surpassed 1,000 career points (1,002 total) and helped the team clinch the district championship for the second time in program history. They traveled to Port Huron, Mich., for the NJCAA Division II championship. The No. 5-seeded Bears (30-4) reached the Final Four, where they lost to Richard Bland (Va.), 79-76, in overtime.

While competing in the national tournament, Baker received calls from Drexel associate head coach Stacy Weiss and assistant Jillian Dunston. However, she wanted to wait until the season was over to further those conversations.

Baker held offers from Rider, Lehigh, and Wagner. Once she visited Drexel’s campus, though, she instantly felt at home. Baker hung out at a recreational facility and played two-on-two with a few current Dragons, including Erin Sweeney, a graduate of Archbishop Carroll, and Momo LaClair.

When it came time to announce her decision, Baker wanted to surprise her Harcum teammates and coach Riley Maye. She planned a commitment gathering on Tuesday at the school’s gym.

“That’s my second family,” Baker said. “I will definitely be back. Even after the season and until I graduate, I’m definitely going to pop into practices, maybe to Coach Riley’s famous 6 a.m. [practices]. I’ll be at their games supporting them, and I know that they’ll do the same.”

Baker has always striven to play at the highest level. She believes Drexel, which finished 21-10 this season, will help further those dreams of going professional.

“I really want to win,” Baker said. “Win our conference, have a successful season, go to March Madness, those are really big goals that I have for Drexel. I want to continue to develop as much as I can, so I’m ready for that next level.”