UTEP Miners

Kevin Baker was appointed as the eighth head coach in UTEP women’s basketball history on Monday, April 24, 2017. He went on to become the first coach to have three winning seasons in their first four years in program history, including a pair of 17-win campaigns. He set the school standard for victories (17) in his debut season and has led the Miners to the most wins (73) by any Miner coach through their first five years in program history. The Miners also won a game in four straight C-USA tournaments to start his tenure for the first time since a five-year stretch from 2010-14. 

In his fifth season on the sidelines in El Paso, Baker led UTEP to a 7-1 start to the season that featured a pair of wins over rival NM State. Throughout the season the Miners faced a bevy of schedule changes due to COVID-19, having four total games rescheduled or canceled, including the first two Conference USA games at LA Tech and Southern Miss. Despite the adversity, the Miners would upend a duo of conference favorites in Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion towards the beginning of league action. UTEP finished the campaign 14-15 overall and had Katia Gallegos named to the All-Conference USA second team. Destiny Thurman was an honorable mention selection. 

Baker guided the Miners through the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season, leading them to an overall mark of 17-8 and a berth into the semifinals of the 2021 Conference USA Championships. It marked the Miners' first appearance in the semifinals of the tournament in five years. Additionally, Baker has directed UTEP to consecutive winning campaigns for the first time since a four-year stretch from 2010-11 through 2013-14.

UTEP was a stout 9-2 at at home, with the winning percentage of .818 ranking as the seventh highest at home in school annals. Even more impressive was a record of 7-5 on the road, ensuring the first winning road record in five years. That effort also tied for the fourth-most road wins in a year in program history. The Miners enjoyed a nine-game winning streak in the middle of C-USA action, tying for the sixth longest at the school. Individually, Katia Gallegos was named to the All-Conference USA first team.

In 2019-20 Baker directed the Miners to their second winning season in his three years at the school, becoming only the second coach in program history to achieve the feat. UTEP finished at 16-14, culminating with a 95-67 victory against Florida Atlantic in the opening round of the 2020 C-USA Championships. The Miners broke school conference tournament records for margin of victory (28), points (95) and 3-pointers made (11), while tying the mark for field goals made (33), 3-point percentage (50.0 percent) and overall field-goal percentage (55.0 percent). The effort propelled UTEP to the quarterfinals for the third straight year under Baker, continuing the longest such streak to start a career at the school. The tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, ending UTEP’s aspirations for a postseason bid.
 
UTEP set the school record for most 90+ point games in a season (four). It also cracked the school’s top-10 season list for assists per game (15.1-tied third), points (2129-fifth), scoring offense (71.0-fifth), turnovers forced (598-sixth), field goals made (771-seventh), field-goal percentage (.419-tied seventh), assists (452-eighth), free throws made (424-eighth), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.299-eighth), home wins (12-tied eighth), 3-pointers made (163-10th), games played (tied 10th). Individually Katarina Zec earned All C-USA second-team honors and Katia Gallegos was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.

There were some ups and downs in 2018-19, but UTEP played its best basketball late in the season to punch a ticket to the C-USA Championships for the second straight year. Once there 11th-seed UTEP made some noise by rallying from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter to upset sixth-seed Marshall, 64-56, in double overtime (3/13/19). 

UTEP delivered its first road sweep in league play in three years with two wins in three days (at FAU, 70-44, 2/7/19 and at FIU, 60-55, 2/9/19). The 26-point differential at FAU was the second-biggest margin of victory in a conference road game in program history. UTEP also dispatched North Texas (59-51, 3/7/19) to improve to 2-0 on "Senior Day" under Baker. 

Baker made his first season (2017-18) with the Miners a memorable one. He more than doubled the team’s overall win total from the previous campaign on the way to becoming the most successful first-year head coach at the school in program history. The Miners compiled an overall record of 17-14 (7-9 in Conference USA, 9-4 in non-conference play) to surge past the 2016-17 team's overall victory total (8-23) by nine wins while also exceeding the number of league victories (5-13 C-USA).

UTEP, which was picked 11th in the C-USA preseason poll, earned a three-way tie for seventh place in the league and advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2018 Conference USA Championships. The Miners even led top-seed UAB by five late in the third quarter before eventually falling by nine (75-66) to conclude the campaign.

Baker’s charges displayed an innate mental toughness. The team set the school standard for most wins in a season by five points or less, finishing 7-5 in the situation. UTEP went 5-8 on the road on the regular season after going 1-9 in hostile territory in 2016-17. It was 9-5 at home, including an 80-75 win on “Senior Day” over eventual C-USA Tournament Champion WKU.

The seven previous first-year head coaches had an average combined record of 8-17, with the single-season standard for most wins shared by Carol Ammermann (11-5, 1974-75) and Janet Wood (11-16, 1979-80). Baker shattered that mark while also joining Ammermann as the lone individuals to experience a winning season in year one at UTEP. Furthermore, Baker became the initial first-year Miner head coach to taste victory at the league tournament.

Baker accomplished all of this despite inheriting a young team with only one senior (Tamara Seda). Under his tutelage, Seda enjoyed her finest year as a Miner by garnering 2018 All-Conference USA second-team honors. 

He arrived in El Paso from Angelo State University, where he posted a combined record of 50-14 in two seasons (2015-17).  Baker was also the head coach at the University of Texas Tyler from 2012-15, fashioning a 72-16 mark. 

Overall Baker is 417-204 as a head coach (20 years), including 195-103 (10 years) at the collegiate level. He previously led four high schools in the state of Texas -- Commerce (1997-98), Palestine (1998-2000), Nacogdoches (2000-03) and Copperas Cove (2004-07). He set school records for wins at every prior stop of his career, taking each of his schools to the playoffs and claiming a total of five district championships. He is an eight-time Coach of the Year.

Baker’s teams captured back-to-back conference championships at UT Tyler and Angelo State. He led Angelo State to a 26-6 mark in 2016-17, including the school’s first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a runner-up finish in the NCAA South Central Regional.

Baker led both a Division II (Angelo State) and Division III (UT Tyler) school to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

His 2016-17 Angelo State squad was ranked as high as second in the nation, earning him Conference Coach of the Year honors for the fourth consecutive season. The Rambelles were 24-8 in 2015-16, reaching the NCAA Regional semifinals.

He compiled marks of 18-9 (2012-13), 27-4 (2013-14) and 27-3 (2014-15) in three seasons at UT Tyler. The Patriots won the American Southwest Conference title in 2014 and 2015, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2014. He was ASC Coach of the Year all three seasons.

Baker spent five years (2007-12) as an assistant coach at Division II West Texas A&M University, where he was part of a run to 120 victories including a 30-4 campaign in 2009-10. The Lady Buffs were a top-10 team nationally all five seasons, were ranked fourth in 2007-08, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on four occasions. West Texas A&M won back-to-back-to-back Lone Star Conference titles (2008-10) and made an Elite Eight appearance in 2009. West Texas A&M also posted the no. 5 team GPA in the country in 2007-08.

In 10 seasons as a high school head coach, Baker put together three years with 29 or more wins. He was a combined 222-101 in the prep ranks. Highlights included a 29-4 mark at Palestine High School (4A) in 1999-2000, a school-record for victories, and District, Bi-District and Area championships. His 2002-03 Nacogdoches team was 30-4, a school-record for wins, with District and Bi-District titles. His final high school team, at Copperas Cove (2006-07), was 32-3 with Area and Bi-District championships and a Regional Semifinal berth.

Baker received his bachelor of science degree (Kinesiology) and masters of education from Stephen F. Austin in 1994 and 1996, respectively. He began his coaching career as an assistant girls basketball coach at Hudson High School in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas, in 1994. 

The Kevin Baker Career Head Coaching Record