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On Dec. 14, Central High School in Hayneville will host the fourth annual Toriano “Tito” Baker Classic basketball tournament presented by Lowndes County Athletics.

The annual tournament was founded as a way to pay honor to the late coach and principal who is remembered for pouring into Lowndes County schools.

“We rotate each year between hosts Central High School and The Calhoun School,” said Lowndes County Public Schools Athletic Director Ervin Starr. “Coach Baker graduated from Calhoun, but he coached and won a state title at Central. He was an administrator in the school system, so that’s why we rotate the location and also include the middle schools.”

Baker passed away in May 2021. The beloved leader not only served as a principal, classroom instructor, coach, and athletic director within Lowndes County Public Schools, but was also an avid and record setting basketball player himself, leaving an impressive legacy upon the Faulkner University Eagles basketball team.

During his time with the Eagles, Baker was a three-time First Team All-SSC (Sunshine State Conference) player, a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Honorable Mention All-American, and the second leading scorer in program history. With 1,753 career points, Baker ranks among the highest totals in the men’ s Eagles basketball history,

In his biography, Baker described his deep roots within Lowndes County and outlined his mission —to develop a culture of greatness within the county’s schools.

“I am a proud native of Lowndes County, where I graduated from The Calhoun High School. I am honored to work in the community where I was raised as an educator,” Baker wrote. “It has been my desire to set the expectation for our children to be a beacon of light that shines brightly amongst other school districts. It has always been my belief that hard work pays off.”

Tip Off for the Classic will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the Lowndes Middle School girls taking on the Hayneville Middle School (HMS) girls. At 11 a.m. the Lowndes Middle School boys will face HMS boys, followed by a match between the U.F. Shields and Wilcox Central girls at 12:20 p.m.

At 2 p.m., Shields boys will face off against Wilcox Central boys. Then, at 3:40 p.m. Calhoun and Central varsity girls will compete before the varsity boys’ matchup at 5:45 p.m.

Tickets for the entire day are just $15.