Northwest Notes April 18, 2012

NIC point guard Baker signs to play at SMU

DALLAS - Korina Baker, a sophomore point guard at North Idaho College, signed a national letter of intent to play women's basketball at SMU, strengthening a class coach Rhonda Rompola has already described as one of the best she has ever signed during her 21-season career as head coach.

The point guard from Valleyford, Wash., helped NIC win the NJCAA championship as a freshman. The Cardinals finished the year with a 32-3 record in Baker's first season, and won the Scenic West Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 23-6 overall record during her second season.

As a sophomore, Baker averaged 12.1 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists, earning second team All-America honors. She was also named first team all-Region 18 and first team all-Scenic West Athletic Conference.

In high school, the 5-foot-7 guard led Freeman High to its first Washington state title during her senior year, earning the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Baker was also named MVP at all-star games in both Seattle and Spokane, and was named WIAA Player of the Year.

Baker joins four DFW-Metroplex high school stars, Farrin Bell, Nia Jackson, Gabrielle Wilkins and Lexus Williams, as newcomers for the upcoming season. Three of the four incoming freshmen were named to All-State teams, while Bell and Wilkins were named Most Valuable Players in their district.

"This is by far one of the strongest signing classes in the history of the program," Rompola said. "I believe the players in this class have an opportunity to make an immediate impact on our program."