Zion-Benton junior Baakir Christian misses playing the trumpet.
She stopped last season to focus on sports. She had played the instrument for four years.
“I like the trumpet because it’s very noisy and loud,” Christian said. “It stands out. It reminds me of me.”
Indeed, Christian is standing out on the basketball court this season. The 5-foot-9 guard/forward has been one of the bright spots for the Zee-Bees (3-17), who are winless in eight games in the North Suburban Conference. She is averaging 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals in 15 games. She missed two weeks with a knee injury.
“She was on a roll for a stretch this season before she got injured,” Zion-Benton coach Drew Cuttill said. “She worked on her shot. That was a big key. She expanded her game. She can really get to the basket.”
Christian, a third-year varsity player, averaged 5.8 points last season. She credits her enthusiasm in part for her improvement.
“I’m really energetic,” she said. “My energy doesn’t go down. I bring smiles to everybody. I feel one of my jobs as a teammate and with my family is I should bring smiles and put laughs on everybody’s faces.”
Her mother, Chaquenta Jones, confirmed Christian is a ball of energy.
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“She is a clown and plays all day, from the time she wakes up to when she goes to bed,” Jones said. “I can come home mad about something not being done around the house, and she comes home from practice and can turn my whole anger away in five seconds. She’s always happy.”
Christian can generate smiles with her performances on the court. She had 21 points, 15 rebounds and seven steals in a blowout win against North Chicago on Nov. 29. She scored 26 points in a loss to Maine East on Dec. 6 and closed out a strong stretch with 26 points, six rebounds and seven steals in a loss to Wheeling on Dec. 12.
Christian, who also plays volleyball and runs the 300-meter hurdles, said she’s motivated to be a role model for her younger siblings and to honor her mother.
“This year being able to score in double digits and get a few double-doubles, it feels amazing,” Christian said. “I’ve really grown a lot.”
Cuttill, who is also an assistant in track, has watched that unfold.
“She’s growing as a player and has really taken a big leap forward this year as far as some of her offensive skills,” Cuttill said. “She has become more of a primary ballhandler. She understands the offense. But defensively, she has some work to do at this point. But she’s our best defender.”
Christian said she had to get used to playing against girls who were older and bigger than her.
“I just had to tell myself that I had to grow up because it would not be so easy as my career goes on,” she said. “My family encouraged me a lot.”
Her mother has noticed a difference.
“This year I’ve seen the change on the court,” Jones said. “This is really something special for me. She could be the first out of the four (kids) to go to college. I’m excited.”
Christian is looking forward to track season. She fell a few seconds short of making the cut for the Class 3A state meet in the 300 hurdles last season.
But she’s focused on continuing to improve in basketball.
“My goals are to get better and be a better defensive player,” she said. “I’m working hard for that and to also make my family happy and myself happy.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.