University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Leonard Harper-Baker's Decision to Stick with Basketball Continues to Pay Off
12/7/2018 9:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Seven years ago, there was a 5-foot-9 high school freshman in Detroit who left the game of basketball for the second time in his life.Â
Now, that kid is a lean, 6-foot-6 redshirt-junior forward at Southern Miss, proudly wearing his adidas headband every game as he fights for rebounds and buckets in the post. His name is Leonard Harper-Baker, and his patience is the reason he is here today.
"I first started playing organized ball in fourth grade," he said. "I stopped playing in seventh grade and focused on playing football till high school, and then started learning about the inherent risks that come with it. That's how I started playing basketball again."
The return to the hardwood was not so kind in the beginning.
"I was playing on the JV team as a freshman and wasn't getting much playing time," Harper-Baker said. "So when the new year came, I actually stopped playing. I was just a normal student. Then, 10th grade came back around, and I talked to the varsity head coach. He told me he had all these big visions for me, and that made me a believer again.
And what a decision it was. Harper-Baker has so far been an elixir for the team that has relied heavily on guards the past few years. He is averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game, while leading Conference USA in shooting at 81.5 percent from the field (22-for-27).
"My 10th grade year, after the meeting with coach, I really didn't play that much," he said. "It would be four or five minutes, and there were some games I didn't play. I grinded the whole summer, and it was my plan to start the next year. My junior year, we went to the state championship, then lost it. It's been a unique journey."
While his height is still under the traditional threshold of a Division I athlete at the four-spot, he has been unafraid of contact. He attributes his knack for getting to the ball to his prior football experience, where he was even a top receiver in middle school.Â
"In high school, it was a big battle between the juniors and seniors," Harper-Baker said. "We had one of the best rebounders in the state at the time, and I knew I would be close to his position so I would have to sneak some tricks in to get a rebound."
Then came the next chapter of his life and basketball career: moving on from Detroit.
"After my senior season was over, I decided to play AAU again since my age allowed me to do so," he said. "I ended up getting an offer from Florida A&M, but I decided to go to prep school and we played Moberly Area [Community College] in a tournament. It just so happened that their assistant coach was from Detroit and used to watch me all the time. He was close friends with the guy who offered me at FAMU, so he spoke to me after the game and asked what I had going on and to keep touch. After prep school, it wasn't going too well so I decided on junior college."
Two years later, then-newly hired Southern Miss assistant coach Steve Shields gave Harper-Baker a call just three weeks before school would start in August. From there, the MACC standout did some quick research and says he felt he made the right decision.
But there would be one more basketball hiatus for Harper-Baker, and this time it was something he did not have much control over: a knee ailment that necessitated a redshirt season.
"It was pretty weird," he said of spending a whole season on the team with no opportunity to play in a game. "I had a lot of mental struggles with it, just knowing the impact I could have had on the team last year. It hit me hard knowing I could have helped, but other than that I just had to stay focused on the bigger picture."
Harper-Baker credits Director of Basketball Operations Omar Thomas for having a significant impact on his development, and Thomas says he sees a lot of himself in him.
"When he first got here, we really connected," Thomas said. "He's hungry and has a good basketball IQ. He seemed eager to learn. We hit it off the first day I met him. He looked up to me as a big brother and coach. I wound up staying on him. He picked my brain on several things about basketball, like overseas leagues and what it takes to be a pro. I pretty much told him the steps you need to take to get to that level."
Head coach Doc Sadler is in his fifth season at the helm, and he says that Harper-Baker's performance in the Nov. 28 win over South Alabama (career-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds) was where he showed his highest potential yet.
"The thing that Leonard did was play with tremendous passion and effort," he said. "He played every play and was the leader we don't have vocally. He isn't afraid to say something that'll make someone else mad. To be in that role, you have to show up and give the effort. We hope he can continue to be that person consistently throughout the rest of the year, where he will show up each and every day at practice and do that for us."
Teammate Christian Clark offered similar sentiments.
"I look at him like a brother," he said. "He's someone I click with. He's got great character and people want to be around him. When you have those qualities, and you respect people and they give respect back, people will listen to you."
Harper-Baker's post-basketball plans include getting into real state or landscape management, saying he would love to lease out large buildings and the like.Â
The Golden Eagles (6-2) are home Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Millsaps, followed by three-straight road games at Wichita State, Kansas State and South Dakota to conclude the non-conference slate.
Now, that kid is a lean, 6-foot-6 redshirt-junior forward at Southern Miss, proudly wearing his adidas headband every game as he fights for rebounds and buckets in the post. His name is Leonard Harper-Baker, and his patience is the reason he is here today.
"I first started playing organized ball in fourth grade," he said. "I stopped playing in seventh grade and focused on playing football till high school, and then started learning about the inherent risks that come with it. That's how I started playing basketball again."
The return to the hardwood was not so kind in the beginning.
"I was playing on the JV team as a freshman and wasn't getting much playing time," Harper-Baker said. "So when the new year came, I actually stopped playing. I was just a normal student. Then, 10th grade came back around, and I talked to the varsity head coach. He told me he had all these big visions for me, and that made me a believer again.
And what a decision it was. Harper-Baker has so far been an elixir for the team that has relied heavily on guards the past few years. He is averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game, while leading Conference USA in shooting at 81.5 percent from the field (22-for-27).
"My 10th grade year, after the meeting with coach, I really didn't play that much," he said. "It would be four or five minutes, and there were some games I didn't play. I grinded the whole summer, and it was my plan to start the next year. My junior year, we went to the state championship, then lost it. It's been a unique journey."
While his height is still under the traditional threshold of a Division I athlete at the four-spot, he has been unafraid of contact. He attributes his knack for getting to the ball to his prior football experience, where he was even a top receiver in middle school.Â
"In high school, it was a big battle between the juniors and seniors," Harper-Baker said. "We had one of the best rebounders in the state at the time, and I knew I would be close to his position so I would have to sneak some tricks in to get a rebound."
Then came the next chapter of his life and basketball career: moving on from Detroit.
"After my senior season was over, I decided to play AAU again since my age allowed me to do so," he said. "I ended up getting an offer from Florida A&M, but I decided to go to prep school and we played Moberly Area [Community College] in a tournament. It just so happened that their assistant coach was from Detroit and used to watch me all the time. He was close friends with the guy who offered me at FAMU, so he spoke to me after the game and asked what I had going on and to keep touch. After prep school, it wasn't going too well so I decided on junior college."
Two years later, then-newly hired Southern Miss assistant coach Steve Shields gave Harper-Baker a call just three weeks before school would start in August. From there, the MACC standout did some quick research and says he felt he made the right decision.
But there would be one more basketball hiatus for Harper-Baker, and this time it was something he did not have much control over: a knee ailment that necessitated a redshirt season.
"It was pretty weird," he said of spending a whole season on the team with no opportunity to play in a game. "I had a lot of mental struggles with it, just knowing the impact I could have had on the team last year. It hit me hard knowing I could have helped, but other than that I just had to stay focused on the bigger picture."
Harper-Baker credits Director of Basketball Operations Omar Thomas for having a significant impact on his development, and Thomas says he sees a lot of himself in him.
"When he first got here, we really connected," Thomas said. "He's hungry and has a good basketball IQ. He seemed eager to learn. We hit it off the first day I met him. He looked up to me as a big brother and coach. I wound up staying on him. He picked my brain on several things about basketball, like overseas leagues and what it takes to be a pro. I pretty much told him the steps you need to take to get to that level."
Head coach Doc Sadler is in his fifth season at the helm, and he says that Harper-Baker's performance in the Nov. 28 win over South Alabama (career-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds) was where he showed his highest potential yet.
"The thing that Leonard did was play with tremendous passion and effort," he said. "He played every play and was the leader we don't have vocally. He isn't afraid to say something that'll make someone else mad. To be in that role, you have to show up and give the effort. We hope he can continue to be that person consistently throughout the rest of the year, where he will show up each and every day at practice and do that for us."
Teammate Christian Clark offered similar sentiments.
"I look at him like a brother," he said. "He's someone I click with. He's got great character and people want to be around him. When you have those qualities, and you respect people and they give respect back, people will listen to you."
Harper-Baker's post-basketball plans include getting into real state or landscape management, saying he would love to lease out large buildings and the like.Â
The Golden Eagles (6-2) are home Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Millsaps, followed by three-straight road games at Wichita State, Kansas State and South Dakota to conclude the non-conference slate.
Players Mentioned
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