Charles Baker, former head coach of Southwest Christian Academy (Little Rock) and the Arkansas Wings, has been hired as an assistant coach for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock men's basketball team, Trojans Coach Darrell Walker announced Friday.
Baker has spent the previous three seasons coaching Southwest Christian, where the Lions won the National Association of Christian Athletes championship in 2017. He also coached the Wings, which are a member of the Elite Youth Basketball League, during those three seasons.
"I've known Charles for a long time and have seen what he's been able to accomplish in his career," Walker said in a statement. "He is a very good basketball coach with experience at a number of different levels and universities. He has a lot of experience recruiting and coaching at the Division I level, which was important to me, and is well respected. I know we've got a good one to help us here at Little Rock."
Baker has coached at six Division I programs. He was the associate head coach at Campbell from 2009-2013, and the Camels won the 2009-2010 Atlantic Sun championship. Baker spent two seasons as an assistant at Colorado from 2007-2009, a season as an assistant at Louisiana Tech in 2006-2007, and six seasons as an assistant at Kansas State from 2000-2006.
Baker was a head coach for Shorter Junior College (North Little Rock) from 1992-1998, when the Bulldogs advanced to four consecutive Arkansas State Junior College championships.
Baker is a North Little Rock native, graduating from Ole Main High in 1984. He then attended Westark Junior College (now the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith) until 1986, when he transferred to Eastern Kentucky and played two seasons of college basketball.
Baker began his college coaching career as an assistant at Middle Tennessee State in 1990, and then he spent the 1991-1992 season as an assistant at Coppin State.
From 1985-1990, Baker coached the Arkansas Wings and was the head coach during his final season. In all of his years with the Wings, the program has appeared in the Final Four 12 times and won the national championship three times.