Baker bothers grew up watching Whitman-Hanson teams cut down the nets. It's their turn now
WHITMAN – The annual Bob Rodgers youth basketball camp: Where many Whitman-Hanson Panthers of today get their start on the hardwood.
"Most of these guys, I've known them since they were in kindergarten, first grade and second grade," the longtime boys basketball coach said of his players.
That includes brothers Ryan and Caleb Baker, the two combo guards manning Rodgers' backcourt in the midst of Whitman-Hanson's 12-game winning streak.
“Since we were younger, we have been really waiting for this," said Caleb Baker, a 6-foot-3 sophomore. "We used to come to the camp here and be like, ‘I can’t wait until high school to play together, and hopefully run the team.’”
Both Ryan, a junior, and Caleb Baker have been on varsity since their respective freshman seasons. Last year was the first time they had been named on the same roster, though the younger Baker's name wasn't called often as a varsity rookie.
But now, they're two of the mainstays that led this injury-bugged Panthers team – which is currently without All-Scholastic guard Isaiah Bean-Brittian – to its 10th Patriot League Keenan Division title and eighth since 2014.
“I just remember watching teams cut the net, and now we finally are," Ryan Baker said. "It’s amazing.”
Last week, the Bakers shared our Boys Basketball Player of the Week honor by combining for 38 points in a win over Marshfield, and Ryan Baker led the Panthers with a team-high 19 points in the title-clinching win over Hingham on Friday.
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“Obviously, they play very well together, they know each other so well,” Rodgers said of the tandem. “Their games are completely different, but they’re both extremely great competitors.”
Rodgers described Caleb as a long, tall point guard who "can see over defenses and make plays like that." Ryan, conversely, is a prototypical 6-foot-2 swingman with a capable shot from distance and a crafty handle to maneuver his way to the rim.
“He’s always my first option," Caleb Baker said of his older brother. "Whenever I go to the hoop, I’m always looking for him. I love playing with him.”
“We have an unsaid connection," Ryan Baker agreed.
That bond first manifested itself within the confines of the YMCA in East Bridgewater, where the brothers would often play together at 5 and 6 years old, dreaming of one day donning Panther red and black.
And here they are.
Ryan Baker was named an Enterprise All-Scholastic last winter for averaging 18.6 points per game, including a 37-point gem against Bridgewater-Raynham, as Whitman-Hanson went 12-10 and had its season end in the first round of the state tournament.
Caleb, in his first go-around as a starter this winter, has had five games in double figures scoring with a career-best 16 against Marshfield on Jan. 16.
“I knew when his opportunity came, that he would take it and go," Ryan Baker said of his younger brother.
Rattling off 12 straight to match last year's win total after starting 1-2, these Panthers have cranked it up a notch behind improvement among the brothers and surrounding cast of Bean-Brittain, senior Evan Yakavonis, senior Blake Belcher and senior Brandon Moore.
“We haven’t lost a game in 2024 yet, so I like the little win streak we’re going on here," Caleb Baker said. "I like how we have (the Keenan Division crown) to ourselves (after sharing with Marshfield last year). It’s all ours now.”
Said Ryan Baker, “It’s what you dream for as a kid.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Brotherly backcourt brings winning season for Whitman-Hanson hoops
