Scholar-Athlete of the Week

By Staff
Kim West
Franklin County Times
EAST FRANKLIN – Kendra Baker lets her actions speak louder than her words.
Baker, 14, is a freshman and A-B student at East Franklin Junior High School, where she is the starting point guard, co-captain and leading scorer for the Lady Rebels.
"Kendra's really quiet, but she's sweet and funny," said East Franklin junior girls coach Monica Nix. "She's a good student and she's always the same, whether she's playing basketball or at school. When we won the (Tharptown) Tip-Off Tournament, everyone was running around and hugging each other, and she was just standing there with a grin on her face."
Baker has played basketball since fourth grade, when she played in the parks and recreation youth league.
"The best basketball moment was winning the Tip-Off Tournament," she said. "But I still remember the time when I was playing in a game at the rec center and I scored on the wrong goal."
Baker is an active member of the 4-H Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes at East Franklin, and she also enjoys attending Alabama games, roller skating and competing in Tharptown pool tournaments, where she has won 27 trophies.
Baker, who likes to sing along to tunes by Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd, said movies such as "Not Another Teen Movie" make her laugh and called co-captain Ciara Harville her funniest teammate.
Baker must choose a new school next fall, but she has enjoyed her time at East Franklin.
"I like it because it's little," said Baker. "I'll probably go to Tharptown next year."
She is the daughter of Galon and Kim Baker and has two brothers, Mark, a sixth-grader, and Thomas, a third-grader, who also attend East Franklin.