Athlete Every Week: Jb Baker

“Maybe I’m not the best. Maybe I need to work harder. Psych, I’m the best.” These are classic words from James “Jb” Baker, the Athlete of the Week. Jb, a four-year senior and a proctor of Cilley Hall, can now be seen with stylish metal crutches that match his Vineyard Vines collection.A tri-varsity captain of water polo, swimming and crew, Jb got injured this week not because of any of these of sports, but rather because he was, according to Jb, “going too hard” at C-ball. However, witnesses indicate otherwise. “He was actually just wearing flip-flops during the game and slipped,” said C-Ball team partner, senior Hojung Kim. “But, we did go on to win the game due to his heroic efforts.” Nonetheless, it is key to remember that C-ball is a ridiculously challenging sport played by only the best athletes of Cilley Hall and it was during one of these intense matches that unfortunately twisted and broke his foot.Although only in the eleventh grade, Jb was last year’s leading scorer for the Varsity Water Polo team. This year, Jb will suffer for six weeks out of the water due to his sudden injury. “I feel like a caged bird,” Jb said. “Before I broke my foot, I was by far the best athlete in New England at all three sports overall. I was a bird flying gracefully through the sky. Basically, when I broke my foot winning at C-ball, it was like getting my wings chopped off.”As one of the key members of Team Arrogance, Jb knows he has a reputation to maintain. “I was the leading scorer last year and the New England MVP, but because I was out for 4 weeks, Nick (DuPont) is now up 12 goals,” Jb said, “but 12 goals is never enough when I can score 20 in any given game.” “Will the lack of training be a problem?” I asked tentatively as I sat on his futon in his 2nd floor corner room. Jb immediately responded with, “No, I’m the best. I’ve always been the best and I always will be the best. That’s all that matters.”Some members of Cilley Hall wish the best for him and mourn alongside with him. “His C-ball game will never be the same,” says Will Rau, a new lower in Cilley Hall. “I feel terrible that such a skillful master of the sport has had such a traumatic injury.” Lower Max Eberstadt-Beattie was overflowing with emotion when I mentioned Jb. “He is the fallen hero. Jb was a quad-varsity athlete in his prime (water polo, swimming, crew and C-ball). I don’t know if he’ll even get recruited because he can’t perform, he can’t play C-Ball.”However, it appears that out of everyone, Jb seems to have the most trust in his athletic ability, despite his injury. During the final moments of my interview, I told Jb of how some students and teammates were skeptical of his ability to rebound. Upon hearing this, Jb paused for a minute before answering a question of his own. “Am I the best athlete that New England’s ever seen? No... Psych!”