WVU sports: 'I love it here': Baker comfortable at WVU, despite multiple headaches

The Mountaineer AD has made at least eight new hires and promotions for head coaches within the athletic department, including three in men's basketball alone.

There have been a lot of roadblocks thrown in Baker's way. However, he's kept a steady mindset in how he approaches these headaches outside of taking a normal dose of Advil.

"I do a good job of compartmentalizing and trying to attack each day and the challenges it brings," Baker said in an interview with the Gazette-Mail. "I would be dishonest if there hasn't been unforeseen challenges, because there has. I see those as opportunities. I have two daughters. I tell them when they're going through something difficult that life's greatest blessing is to be confronted with challenges.

"It doesn't feel like it when you're inside [those] challenges, but, on the back end, you grew as a person and the relationships with the people around you because you learned who you can count on and trust. You also learn about yourself and that you can fight through things and that you have the determination and resolve to get through difficult situations.

"As I look back, each of the challenges that we've faced has given us a chance to improve the athletic department to grow deeper and grow relationships then learn and adapt from adversity," Baker continued. "That always makes you and your organization better."

One of the latest headaches Baker has dealt with has been the recent speculation of his name being associated with the vacant athletic director position at the University of Oklahoma.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on July 7 that Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione is retiring from his full-time position during the upcoming school year.

Speculation immediately surrounded Baker as he is a native of Valliant, Oklahoma. The WVU AD earned his bachelor's degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2001 then received his master's degree from Oklahoma State in 2003.

This isn't the first time Baker's name has been associated with a vacant athletic director position, as his name was mentioned with the TCU job in 2024.

"First of all, any time your name is thrown out there [then] there will be speculation," Baker said. "It is a credit to the people here [like] the student-athletes, coaches and staff that are doing the majority of the work. I'm the member of a team of several hundred and no one is more significant than the other. People recognize that there are a lot of good things happening at WVU. I love it here [at WVU].

"My wife and two girls, more importantly, love it here and love being here. We're very, very happy here. In the time I've been here, I've not ever entertained anything else. [However,] you also don't want to get into the habit of every time there's speculation then it's your responsibility to pour water on it either.

"Generally, I don't address it," Baker continued. "I've stayed consistent about what I can honestly tell people and that is that we're extraordinarily happy here."

Baker's three years have produced a whirlwind of emotions.

Yet, he's remained ecstatic at the job the athletic department has done with the punches thrown at it.

“It’s staying focused on what is most important. What is most important is that we’re helping young people grow, develop and be successful athletically," Baker said. "I always acknowledge that it’s a metric that’s the most important. But also, it’s academic and helps them grow as people. Has that changed some in how you go about that, with rosters being more fluid than they were in the past? It has.

"It can be frustrating, at times, to feel like the rules and understanding of the rules change on a day-to-day basis and not having a clear picture of where we’re heading. That has been frustrating.

"But, our coaches and student-athletes have done a great job of doing the only thing they can do when times change and that is control what you can control."

A driver in some of the weighted decisions Baker and his staff make is based on what the fan base and observers like and don't like.

A big piece of that puzzle is what they're looking at on social media, especially on X/Twitter.

The WVU football account has been active during the offseason, as the program has unveiled the 1965 throwback jerseys and brought back the glossy blue helmets that many remember primarily during the 2000s.

For example, a video on the helmets amassed over 519,000 impressions on X/Twitter. The unveiling of the 1965 throwback uniforms attracted 460,000.

Baker believes that the analytics with social media makes things easier.

“We’re much more educated and armed with more data today. It was speculative at first," Baker said. "Now we know that when we push something out then we know immediately. There are initiatives that don’t land as well as we thought. Then there are others that take off that wouldn’t have been expected. It is amazing. We push out a uniform then we will see an increase in season ticket sales. Those are all data points that we’re armed with and can track now.

"There’s a lot more data than we have manpower to assess and be able to analyze the data to help drive our decisions. We have too much because it becomes hard to decipher what data is important. It is a different world, and it is helpful.�

WVU recently said goodbye to university President Gordon Gee and welcomed in new President Michael Benson.

Benson comes from Coastal Carolina, where he was since 2021. He becomes the 27th president of WVU.

“President Gee has been a great partner and friend. He’s the most experienced president in higher education," Baker said. "He’s done so much and has accomplished so much. When you go through some of the things that we’ve gone through the last couple of years, it’s nice to have somebody that’s riding with you in the pilot seat that’s not affected by the storms. He’s been a great mentor, leader and friend. He’ll continue to do everything he can to support the university.

"President Benson and I hit it off tremendously. I’m a massive fan. He’s a big sports fan. He reads everything that comes out. If there’s an article that comes out, he’ll call me and reach out to me quickly to get my thoughts. He’s engaged nationally in a variety of ways when it comes to intercollegiate athletics. He’s focused on academic excellence and growing the academic enterprise while growing enrollment. He’s a very present leader. We’re in great hands. We’re in a great place and the future is very bright, not just with the athletic department but for the university.�