North Carolina Central’s Khalil Baker, 20, holds off Chad Turner, 13, of Winston-Salem State University in the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 at O’Kelly Riddick Stadium in Durham, NC.
rwillett@newsobserver.com
Nothing made North Carolina Central coach Trey Oliver smile more than seeing a clean table at a pregame meal last week. It’s part of his young Eagles focus on the little things that prove his team is listening.
Juniors fill 25 of the 44 offensive and defensive slots on the depth chart. It can also be difficult to get people to understand that all the pieces fit together. Judging by his 2-0 start to the season at Central, the players are cleaning up after themselves. Oliver’s message is getting across.
“There were no plates or cups left on the table,” said Oliver. “Every player picked up the trash. If a player does that kind of thing, his GPA on our team is 3.0. If a player does the right thing off the field , it is translated and has a direct correlation to the field.”
It took junior safety Khalil Baker a while to figure it out. Before he could shine on the field, he had to mature off the field.
“I love football so I tend to lose focus when I’m not playing,” said Baker. “It’s what I had to come to know about myself that everything goes hand in hand.”
Baker played sparingly as a freshman in 2019, struggling to make the transition from high school cornerback to NCCU safety.
When the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he seemed to lose sight of his reason for being in school. Oliver said it took a “heart-to-heart” conversation and an extra study room session, but Baker eventually clicked.
Now, the Eagles are one of the defensive leaders with their first shutout in five years in a 41-0 win over Winston-Salem State last week.
“He’s one of my favorite players on the football team because of his growth and development alone,” said Oliver. “And we laugh and joke about it all the time. It’s just a blessing to see a young man grow and mature like that…he reaps the benefits and rewards I have.”
Baker tied for the team lead with 10 tackles. He also has him in a three-way tie for most of his interceptions in the MEAC, and he has one each in the red zone against NC A&T and Winston-Salem State.
Oliver said Baker’s game eventually slowed down as his “eye discipline” improved. not. He learned to read his keys and react accordingly.
“I played in the corners, which allowed me to play with more instincts. In a way, it makes my eyesight worse because there’s not that much field to cover,” Baker said. “But I have to start making calls to be safe. I have to look at the field and adjust. So playing with eye training was a big thing for me. It didn’t work out, and it’s something we’re still working on.”
The last time Central won their first two games of the season, it was still competing in the CIAA at Division II level. This is the Eagles’ best start since being reclassified into the NCAA’s Football Championship subdivision in 2007.
Improving to 3-0 will be a bigger challenge. The Eagles travel to “the other” Durham, New Hampshire, to face No. 25 New Hampshire in the first meeting in series history.
“They are excited. They will be ready for the challenge,” said Oliver. “I think people underestimate us. But as you know, we’re still working and working to get better and hopefully we’ll get a number (ranking) to our name.”
CL Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown has more than 20 years of reporting experience, including her writing assignments at Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After an extended residency at his APSE Award-winning Louisville Courier-Journal, he stopped by his ESPN.com, his The Athletic, and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.
