The girls varsity basketball team has built up many accomplishments through the 2019-2020 season, including being first in district with a record of 9-1. These successes have been achieved with the lead of senior point guard and Mcdonald’s All-American Nominee, Victoria Baker.

The McDonald’s All-American Board nominates 900 seniors, 450 girls and 450 boys, to be considered to play in a game full of the best high school athletes around the country. McDonald’s, the fast food chain, sponsors the entire event providing the combined girls and boys chosen 48 athletes with gear along with recognition for their school and state. Baker has been selected to be a nominee for this prestigious award.

“When I saw the list come out, I was excited,” Baker said. “Before we saw the names, I felt like I could be a nominee but obviously you don’t have the confirmation for yourself until you see it officially on paper. So when I actually saw my name, I was proud of myself.”

Baker spends hours in the gym, whether it’s in on the court getting shots up or off the court lifting in the weight room or working on her mental game.

“I go to training at least three plus times a week,” Baker said. “Usually if we have a light practice, then I’ll go to training or if we don’t do a lot of running. Especially at school, I have teammates that push me to be the best player that I can be, so I work on mental and physical aspects of the game. The mental aspects that I focus on are watching film of us and college basketball, basically seeing what skills I can improve on.

Someone that has watched and participated in Baker’s basketball career is senior Zion Neat. Baker and Neat have been good friends, playing together since middle school all the way up to starting together their senior year on varsity.

“I was definitely super proud and happy for her because I’ve been watching her overcome physical and mental battles since seventh grade now, and it’s great to see it finally paid off and her get the recognition she deserves,” Neat said. “She’s always been her biggest critic and getting the opportunity to be her teammate for six years now and train with her constantly, it’s awesome to see her name getting recognized nationally with a list of such respectable people.” 

 For the past 10 years, the girls basketball team has maintained a winning record, gaining playoff titles. Baker and Neat, along with other players, have made a contribution to the school’s name with the time they’ve been here.

“Over the years, Victoria has been a dynamic part of the team in the basketball sense,” Neat said, “ but this season, she’s started to develop herself as a role model for all the younger kids and been an example of what kind of work you have put in to get where she is and where they want to be. Her role on the team is way bigger than basketball.” 

The girls basketball program is constantly in the gym practicing until six after school and working out in the weightroom twice a week, including Saturday practices.

“ I know the vista ridge girls basketball program, we grind everyday, we take practice pretty seriously. The grind is essentially how you work. There’s always time to have fun, but we know when to get serious. The grind after practice is something different. After practice, I feel like a ninety year old. In the hallways you see the basketball girls, we’re sixteen through eighteen but we have the joints of ninety year old women. We have to constantly take care of our bodies. Since we have a lot of potential this year, our grind is different because we have the chance to reach state, basically to eat this season.”