Arcadia's Baker puts program and players first after reaching milestone

ARCADIA – Arcadia girls basketball coach Randy Baker achieved his 600th win lastmonth. That's not how he'd prefer you to repeat it, though. "This is how I like to phrase it," Baker said. "The girls basketball team has won 600 games since I've been here. It's not me winning games. I can tell you I've lost 327." Now in his 41st season at Arcadia, it's not the wins that make Baker swell with pride thinking about the teams he's led since starting the job in 1983. Not the trip to the Final Four in 1989. Or the five Blanchard Valley Conference championships, 2013 dstrict title or seven 1,000-point scorers. All of those things will be part of Baker's legacy when he's done, but they aren't what keep him going. "It means I've been here a long time and I'm an old man," he said of reaching 600 wins. "I do it for the kids. I love working with the kids and what we do here. It's not so much the game stuff, it's the buildup and everything we do." The milestone was reached on Jan. 18 in a 48-39 win over Van Buren. Baker knew it was approaching, but kept the exact tally a mystery to most people. He didn't want his players to feel pressure about an accomplishment that had his name attached to it. This year's Arcadia team is the best the program has been in several years, with a 16-3 record and currently in second in the BVC at 5-2. The last team to surpass 15 wins was the 2018-19 squad that went 19-6. The program recently celebrated 50 years with dozens of alumni making it out for a reunion that coincided with the Jan. 6 game against Ada. Included among that group were members of the "Iron Five" from the 1988-89 team that reached the Final Four with an overtime win over Buckeye Central in the regional final. The Redskins lost the state semifinal to Berlin Hiland by just one point, 36-35. Baker, 72, has seen generations of athletes come and go. He might even get the chance to coach the third generation of one family. "The first team I coached had a girl who was a senior named Tammy Tienarend," he said. "She's now Tammy Glick. Her daughters Molly and Kirsten played for me. Kirsten had a daughter about five years ago, so the first thing Tammy says is 'you've got to stick around for the third generation.' I might not even live that long." Whenever he does finally decide to retire, Baker will do so with the knowledge that his impact goes far beyond the win-loss column. "I've had some very good players. Some very good kids," he said. "I'm most proud of what they've done when they've got out of school. The stuff they do on the floor is really good, but it's what they accomplish and what they do when they get out of here. That's what we're trying to get them ready for."