Wellington hires boys and girls basketball coaches

When Wellington needed two coaches, they turned to a pair of experienced veterans. The Dukes recently announced that Jim Baker will be taking over the boys program while John McDermott is the new coach on the girls' side. Both come with over three decades of coaching experience. "It's very beneficial to find coaches that have extensive experience. We lucked out and I'm excited about it," Wellington athletic director John Bowman said. "You don't come across guys like Jim with a resume like that very often. And we're fortunate he lives right across the street from the school. John McDermott is another great guy with a lot of experience. He's been going strong for a long time." Baker, a 1975 Wellington grad, returns to his alma mater to replace Anthony Schmook, who guided the Dukes for three seasons, including a district final appearance in 2024. However, Wellington ended last season with a 4-17 record. "I'm excited, Baker said. "I understand the challenge to get things in place and get these kids to buy in. I just want to see Wellington be a program people can be proud of. I want Wellington basketball to be viewed as a good solid program." After spending over a decade in the Lexington program, Baker was head coach at Avon from 2000-2013. Once he left Avon, Baker stayed involved with the game as part of the WOBL/WDLW broadcast crew and was also an assistant at Wellington under coach Dan Gundert from 2020-22. "Well, I think it really comes down to my wife Sue and I are both Wellington grads and we moved back about five years ago," Baker said. "I've talked a lot with her and she supports me getting back into coaching." Baker remembers getting into coaching and having veteran coaches offer guidance and mentorship that led him on the path to become a Lorain County Boys Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. He's hoping he'll be able to offer that same support to someone who might be able to guide Wellington long after his career has ended. "I told John (Bowman) I don't want to set a record here to be the oldest guy ever coaching a team, that's not my desire," Baker said. "Hopefully I can mentor somebody who can take this thing and run with it. Hopefully I can lay some bricks for the foundation part of it so Wellington can be successful." McDermott's long coaching career has included stops at Oberlin, Lake Ridge, Avon Lake, Columbia, Clearview and Southview, as well as eight years as the head girls coach at North Olmsted. He has had the opportunity to see the Dukes firsthand the past two seasons as head coach at Oberlin in 2023-24 and last year as Nick Dimacchia's assistant at Clearview. McDermott is tasked with replacing Nathan Morris, who retired earlier this year as the winningest coach in school history after leading the Dukes for 10 years. "When the Wellington job came open, I felt that was a great position," McDermott said. "Nathan Morris built a great program and when he was ready to step away from it I took a stab at it. Thanks John Bowman and the crew at Wellington for offering me the job. "I don't have to walk into a rebuilding program. I may make a few small changes to fit my style compared to what Nathan has done but it's ready to go. All of the pieces are in place. It's just a matter of me not screwing up and picking up where Nathan left off." McDermott feels having been in the LCL for the past two seasons will give him and his team an advantage heading into his first year. "I know what we're up against," McDermott said. "Having that experience and knowing what's laid out in front of us helps a lot. Instead of watching a lot of film on other people, I can watch a lot of film on the Wellington girls and get to know them better." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.