'Gold standard': Coaches rave about kicker’s intelligence

During his coaching career in college and high school, Little Rock Central football Coach Kent Laster said Keeling Baker is the smartest player he's ever directed.

"He's the gold standard of any student-athlete," Laster said. "I've never had a player like him. To go to a school like Harvard is huge. He's a once-in-a-lifetime kid."

Baker, a three-year starter at kicker for Little Rock Central, is this year's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Male Academic Athlete of the Year.

The Central graduate made a perfect 36 on the ACT and posted a 4.3 GPA. He will attend Harvard University in the fall.

Baker remembers his parents instilling in him at a young age how important it was to be a good student.

"It started at home," Baker said. "They told me, 'You need to focus and read at night.' "

Baker said paying attention to his schedule was a key to success.

"Time management, I stress that to people," he said. "You've got to manage your time well."

Baker was Little Rock Central Student Body president and a National Merit Scholar.

Laster, who has been Central's head coach since 2018 and coached Baker for two seasons, said Baker earned all of his accolades. In the 2018 season when Baker told Laster he made a 36 on the ACT, the coach announced the news to the team at practice.

"We brought the team together and made sure he was recognized," Laster said. "We made a big deal out of it."

Two of Baker's former coaches at Central -- former head coach Ellis "Scooter" Register and offensive coordinator Clay Bemberg -- nominated him for the All-Academic Team. Register is currently working in the Little Rock School District, and Bemberg is the offensive coordinator at Little Rock Parkview.

"One of the most high character athletes I ever had the opportunity to coach," Register said of Baker.

When Baker became Central's starting kicker in 2017, he asked Jason Ronnell -- a former teammate and kicker for the Tigers -- about what to expect.

"I remember it was trial by fire," Baker said. "I was a little kid out there."

After Central finished 2-8 in 2017 and 1-8-1 in 2018, Baker and the Tigers compiled a 6-5 season in 2019, and made the Class 7A playoffs.

"It was amazing," he said. "It was a special group. We had 30 seniors. We haven't had that high of a number at Central in a while. We had so much experience.

"This was our chance. We wanted to try to change the culture around in the program and in the school."

Baker is going to Harvard, but he admitted his first choice was Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He applied to Harvard anyway and was accepted.

With the coronavirus pandemic, colleges across the country are differing on whether to have in-person or virtual instruction. Baker said that freshmen at Harvard will be able to attend classes on campus for the fall semester, but will go home before Thanksgiving and not come back for the rest of 2020. In February, freshmen will resume instruction online, which means Baker will return to Little Rock to take those classes virtually.

Even with the unusual schedule, Baker is looking forward to becoming a college student.

"The reputation at Harvard is unmatched to the rest of the schools in the U.S.," he said. "You can get a great education."