The long and winding road with Maryann Baker

Kyle Cunningham: Tell us a little bit about Sydney Colson and the impact she's had on the team.
Maryann Baker: "She's just a great kid and fun to be around. We've been roommates for four years now. In terms of the team, she's just a great emotional leader. Ever since her freshman year she's always been able to provide a spark coming off the bench, and now in a starting role and leadership role on the team. You can see that carry over from game to game and pretty much consistently throughout the game. We always look to her - she's our point guard so we obviously look to her for leadership. She's a talented player - we look for her to push the ball in transition and dish it to other people. I think she and Danielle have a great chemistry together and it's just fun to be on the court with her."

KC: Have you taken anything from her game and put it into yours?
Baker: "Maybe the emotion. She's got a little more quickness than me, so I don't think our games resemble each other. She's just fun to be around and I try to feed off her emotion and keep things going. I can usually tell when she's down and needs a little bit of motivation - I think it's easy for me to talk to her because we're friends off the court, so I just try to help her as much as I can."

KC: Another one of the seniors, Cat Snow, is playing her last game too. We don't get to see much of her, but you practice with her every day. Can you tell us a little bit about the player she is and what kind of personality she has on the court?
Baker: "Snow is selfless - I think that's the word that describes her. She goes into practice every single day giving 110%. She gets beat up more than anybody you could ever imagine and she's back out there the next possession just trying to make us better; that's really what a walk-on is all about. Her personality and her drive encompasses everything that any team or any coach would need in a walk-on. She's a great person to be around - we've become even better friends this year and it's just great to know you have people in our program like Snow that are there to give everything that they have."

KC: Have you ever had a moment in practice where she hustles hard, beats you on a play, and the coaches come down on you?
Baker: "Oh yeah, absolutely (laughs). If you're trying to block out Snow or just guarding Snow on the half-court, you know you have to give 150% because her 110% might be better than your 150. You have to make sure you go after every loose ball - she's just on the floor diving for everything, so you know you have to give absolutely everything that you have whenever you see Snow. And if she's on offense and you're on defense, you'd better be ready to fight."

KC: And then we have Danielle Adams who doesn't ever look like she misses. How big of an impact has she had on the team, not just this year, but last year as well?
Baker: "The coaches had watched her in junior college and everybody knew that she was a great player, but I really didn't know what she was capable of. Last year was just...she wouldn't even have to play more than 15-20 minutes and she would produce some people's stats for 40 minutes. Her efficiency last year was great and I think she's had to carry a little more of the offensive load this year and I think she's responded extremely well. That's what we're looking for from somebody so talented. Obviously, she's in two years she's somewhere high on the all-time scoring list in A&M history and I think that says enough about how talented she is and how much we need her - not only on offense but on defense as well. She's a great help defender and that's what we've had in every single one of our five players. She can really fill up the stat line on both ends of the floor and I think she's still working on being a better leader on the court, but it's always good to know that as a senior and one of our captains that you can constantly go to her and know that you're going to get something out of her on the basketball court."

KC: I know I'm putting you on the spot, but what do you think she could do to improve as a leader on the team?
Baker: "As a leader, I think she is good by example because of how talented she is, but I think it would help to have her be more of a vocal leader. Like on defense, she's there physically but I think for some of us as we're continuing to work on our defense just hearing her voice...that's something she could work on. But it also helps because she's such a good player that she's there physically so maybe we don't hear her, but we see her there. We know how good she is and she's continuing to work on her leadership and her physical game, because she knows she has a future in the league."

KC: Can you tell us a little about your first memory of A&M, maybe your first practice with Coach Blair?
Baker: "Coming in, I was actually coming off of an ACL surgery so I didn't have to go into practices full force so I was kind of able to take a step back and look at it. But I think it's fair to say that I wasn't scared but I knew that I was going to have to bring my A-game every single day in practice just because of the work ethic that's required. I came into A&M with a pretty good work ethic, but I think it's definitely helped me fine-tune what I know I'm capable of and what's expected of me. It's been good just to know that I have teammates and coaches around me that expect everything out of me every day at practice."

KC: Can you talk a little about the first game you played, or do you remember it much?
Baker: "The first game I played was actually in the Virgin Islands...I think it was against Wichita State. I don't know, they were yellow and black. I don't even remember what I did. I just know it was fun...I just remember when I got in - I don't even remember if I made the shot but I got a shot - everybody was going crazy even though I was just going to check in. Everybody was there cheering for me and that's what A&M is about and that's what this team is about - everybody has each other's back and we're all there to try and make everybody around us better. Everybody is always happy when we see a teammate succeed. It's just a great program to be a part of."

KC: Can you talk a little bit about the evolution of the program since you've come here? It seems like the fan support is really picking up and people are more excited about women's basketball at Texas A&M than they probably have been ever. 
Baker: "When I signed my letter of intent, it was because I got a great feeling of the family atmosphere and how much the coaches really seemed to care about their players. Then when I got here and we went to the Elite Eight my freshman year, I was like 'Ok, this is the real deal. I didn't just sign with someone because I was going to get a full ride.' I know that I can be part of a school and a basketball program that will be ranked consistently and I think every year we've proven that. It's been good to know that our coaches continue to do a great job recruiting people. We're not just a school that is in the top five one year, then the next you don't even hear about us. It's great to know that everybody that's coming into this program knows that they have to live up to what they've been brought into. They have to keep this program at Texas A&M in the top 10 if not in the top 5."

KC: What type of player does Coach Blair and Coach Schaefer bring in to keep this program going? Is there a certain type?
Baker: "I think talent-wise, they can bring in the five-star recruits. But I think once you get into practice, it's all about what's inside; it's about your heart. I'm not saying that we've had players here that have come in here with five stars but can't prove themselves - that's definitely not what we do. We bring in players who absolutely have the ability and the talent, but then they find out more about themselves because of what's expected of them on the practice court. I think that's what our coaches do best - they bring in the highest-rated recruits and they turn them into even better players because they make them develop their own game that requires offense, defense and 100% effort in every possession."

KC: We don't get to hear very much about Vic Schaefer. Can you talk about his attitude, because we've seen some of it on the court, but what is he like in practice and what kind of coach is he?
Baker: "He has a military background and I think to the best of his ability, he brings that out in practice and that's what he need from him. Coach Blair is not soft by any means but he's more of a relaxed kind of guy - he loves to talk I'm sure as everybody knows. Coach Schaefer wants the best out of everybody and he does that by stomping his foot on the bench and that's what I think everybody sees, but in practice he does anything and everything he can to make sure that his players are successful. In doing that, he might get a little red in the face, and might get a little loud but every single one of us as players know that he is doing that out of love - a love for the game and a love for us."

KC: Do you think he's rubbed off on you at all? Because we see you on the bench and you can get a little emotional - I've seen you stomp your feet a couple times. Do you think that Vic Schaefer, in these past four years, has kind of influenced the way you are on the bench?
Baker: "I think I try to compete with him to see who can get the most reaction out of people in the stands (laughs). I've sat next to him on the bench for every single year, and when I went out my sophomore year with my shoulder injury I was basically an assistant coach or student coach. I just go out into practice and I try to play my hardest, and I know he expects the most out of me, so I try to give him that. And then when I get on the court or when I'm on the bench watching my teammates on the court, I can see what they're doing and I know the game well enough to see what we need to be doing and what we're not doing. I guess I try to out-scream him sometimes (laughs). I just try to encourage my teammates and help them out as much as I can on the defensive end."

KC: You mentioned being a student assistant. Is coaching something you want to pursue after this is over?
Baker: "I think I would like to. I don't know what level. I think I love the game enough and I think I know the game - I'm learning the game every single day, so I think there's a possibility that it's in my future, I just don't know at what level."

KC: If you were a coach, would you recruit you?
Baker: "I think I would recruit someone who has as much heart and someone who just wants to try and make people around them as good as they can be, someone who's all about the team and just wants to go out and be the best that they can be."

KC: Who would you compare your game to? When I watch you play, I think of Shane Battier - someone who goes out there, grits, plays great defense, and while you may not put them in the top one or two stars of the game, the people who watch the game know how well you play. Do you have someone you'd compare yourself to?
Baker: "I don't really know. I like how Shane plays, so I can take that. I mean, I'm more of a Mavs fan. J.J. Barea was a bit of a hustler out there, so I used to like watching him. Whenever he would get his opportunity, he would try to make the most of it. He's little, so he has to make up for it in his quickness. I don't know if that necessarily relates to me, but I just like how much he goes out there and just gives it his all."

KC: Has it kind of sunk in that this will be your last game at Reed Arena?
Baker: "You know, it really hasn't. I've tried not to think about it because I'm not too much of an emotional person. Before practice, Coach Schaefer told me that all the coaches are assigned to a senior. So after the game, he'll say a few words about me and then I'm expected to get up there and say a few words. I'm hoping I don't get too emotional, but it really hasn't sunk in and I think that's because I'm focused on how far we can go - I'm focused on the Big 12 tournament and the NCAA Tournament. So to me, it really doesn't feel like our season's about to be over. Senior Day is just a great opportunity for us to thank our family and thank our fans for being there and supporting us, and then thank all of our coaches for everything they've done and the opportunity they've given us. Hopefully we come out and get a good win so everybody can have smiles on their faces."

KC: Can you talk about how far this team can go?
Baker: "I know for a fact we're a Final Four-caliber team. It depends on our focus and going out every game knowing that we're the better team and playing like we're the better team. We came up short against K-State and after yesterday at practice, Coach Blair asked us what the problem was, and I honestly said that it was our focus. We went in there and I think we got a little too far ahead of the game and thought that we were going to just go in there and walk out with a win without having to play our best. That definitely wasn't the case - they were on their A-game, especially Chambers. I think that was a great learning opportunity for us. It's unfortunate that it was this late in the season, but it can be a great opportunity for us to see that we have to be on our A-game every single night in order to achieve the goals that we want to achieve. Personally, I believe that will be the Final Four."

KC: It seems like kind of a tightrope between playing your A-game and playing really jittery and forcing things. How do you keep that in check?
Baker: "I think it's about knowing what the defense is doing and knowing what we're trying to do on offense. In the K-State game, we were trying to force it into Danielle and she was sick and tired and she wasn't capable of doing the same things that she's been doing for our team every other game. In a time like that, it would have been more important for every single one of us to realize that she wasn't 100% and we needed to take some of the load off of her and just play more of an attacking game like Colson was at the end. It's times like that when if one of our players isn't 100%, we need to be able to be mature enough, realize that, and pick up some of the slack for her. I think as a team we're smarter than what we showed against K-State and make sure that we're, as I've said before on our A-game every single night regardless of what the defense throws at us."