A transfer continues a PW tradition

All Asia Baker has to do is text or call her coach, Dan Dougherty, if she thinks she needs to work on her jump shot.

He'll open the Plymouth Whitemarsh gym for her, and the senior will spend the next hour or so taking a couple of hundred shots to fix whatever problem she might be having.

It isn't remarkable that Baker, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward for the Colonials girls' basketball team, has developed such a rapport with her coach. What's interesting is that she has felt so comfortable with her new squad since the moment she met Dougherty in May.

But Baker, a transfer from Shipley, isn't just any new player for the Colonials.

Plymouth Whitemarsh basketball is already in her blood.

Three of Baker's cousins - Ronald Moore, Chuck Moore, and Stephon Baker - played for the Colonials, with Chuck Moore helping PW win the Class AAAA state championship during the 1996-97 season, and Baker helping the squad capture the 2009-10 state crown.

The Binghamton University recruit said her family was excited about the prospect of her transferring, with her cousins especially looking forward to her continuing a family tradition.

It didn't take long for Baker to make her mark in a Colonials uniform. In her first four games, Baker proved herself to be a major offensive threat in the Suburban One League, averaging more than 18 points.

"I have a much bigger role. I have to produce a lot more," Baker said, comparing her role now to what she had a season ago with the Gators. "And I have no problem with that. I've been getting everything prepared, so I can be the go-to person."

Baker credits her work over the summer and fall months with making her faster and stronger, saying she focused on getting bigger and better conditioned.

"She's a difficult player to match up against," Dougherty said. "She's big and strong enough to go down low but fast enough to go right by a post player."

"She brings such an aura of intensity to practice every day. The kids feed off it," Dougherty added.

Along with her fellow tri-captains, guards Rachel Konowal and Alynna Williams, Baker hopes to get the Colonials (5-0, 3-0) in competition for a Suburban One American title, as well as a return to the district tournament.

"I just want people to know who Plymouth Whitemarsh girls' basketball is," Baker said. "I feel like we are in the process of making a name for ourselves and putting ourselves out there."

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Records are through Saturday.

Previous rankings in parentheses.

Rk. Team Rec.

1. Spring-Ford (1) 7-1

2. Neumann-Goretti (3) 2-0

3. Archbishop Wood (5) 3-1

4. Mount St. Joseph (2) 3-1

5. Cent. Bucks West (4) 3-1

6. Bonner-Prendergast(7) 3-0

7. North Penn (10) 5-0

8. Shipley (8) 4-2

9. West Chester Rustin (6) 3-1

10. Germantown Acad.(NR) 4-1

Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Cardinal O'Hara (1-2), Neshaminy (3-0), Souderton (4-2), Upper Dublin (5-0).

- Kate Harman
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