October 18, 2012

Janet Holt Baker to be inducted into TTU Sports Hall of Fame Nov. 2

Janet Holt-Baker led the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team to four OVC championships and two NCAA appearances and left an indelible mark as a three-time OVC Player of the Year, among other awards. She'll be inducted Nov. 2 into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame.

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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- A 2002 graduate of Tech, Janet Holt-Baker led her team to four OVC championships and two NCAA appearances. She left her mark with indelible ink, being recognized first as the 1998-99 OVC Freshman of the Year followed by three consecutive years as the OVC Player of the Year. In her career, Holt reaped four All-OVC selections in addition to Kodak All-Region and CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

That lengthy list sets her apart as one of the greatest women’s basketball players in program history.

Holt-Baker is one of four people who will be inducted at the annual Hall of Fame Dinner, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2, in the Multipurpose Room of the Roaden University Center. The induction dinner is part of Homecoming festivities. Tickets for the dinner, or the Saturday afternoon game against Eastern Illinois, can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling (931) 372-3940.

To open her career under coach Bill Worrell, Holt earned OVC Freshman of the Week honors three times and conference Player of the Week recognition once. She averaged 13.3 points and led the team in rebounds and steals during her rookie season.

As a sophomore, Janet earned her first Kodak honor. She was named the OVC Player of the Year and earned Player of the Week five times. She also earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and was named to three all-tournament teams as she averaged 17.4 points per game.

In 2001, Holt ranked fourth in the nation in scoring as a junior and ranked among OVC leaders in seven categories. Her athletic achievements continued to grow, but her academic achievements grew, as well. By the time she was a junior, Holt was listed on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times as well as Tech’s A.D. Honor Roll all six semesters. During the season, Holt recorded 11 double-doubles.

Holt’s career was capstoned during her senior season. In the Golden Eagle season-opener Holt scored a career-high 41 points against Ole Miss. She surpassed 2,000 career points and became the only player in the program’s rich history with more than 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, 250 assists and 150 steals.

Holt earned both the Kodak all-district honors and Academic All-America selection that season. She was again named the OVC Player of the Year – the only women’s player in history to win three OVC Player of the Year awards -- and finished her career ranked second all-time in OVC and Tech history with 2,420 points.

Holt wrapped up her decorated career as a four-time team MVP.

What distinguished Holt from any other scorer was her dedication to her team and her education. Entering into her final season, Holt was quoted by SLAM magazine: “The WNBA isn’t really a priority. I’m a nursing student, and I’ll probably trade rebounds for IVs after this season is over.”

She later stated that her team winning was more important than leading the nation in scoring: “It’s more important to me to step up and be a leader, if it happens it happens, but I’m going to worry about our team and its success.”

The campus also recognized Janet’s accomplishments. She was chosen as the school’s NCAA Woman of the Year in 2002, and was picked as Tech's Outstanding Female Athlete in both 2001 and 2002.

A native of Lynchburg, Tennessee, Holt graduated with a degree in nursing in 2002. Holt-Baker currently resides in her hometown of Lynchburg with her husband, Todd. The couple has two sons, Will (7) and Hoyt (6).

As predicted, she is working in the health field as a clinical manager, overseeing the medical/pediatric floor at the Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma.