Lady Royals enter their first full season under Baker with a renewed focus on culture, toughness, and building a foundation for the future.
SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A new season brings new opportunities, new faces, and a renewed sense of excitement for the Ecclesia College Lady Royals basketball program. After a challenging 2025-26 campaign that saw the Lady Royals finish with just one victory, Head Coach Reshad Baker is looking to turn the page and establish a new identity heading into the 2026-27 season.
Baker, who took over the program midway through last season, is preparing for his first full year at the helm. With an offseason to recruit, develop relationships, and implement his system, the Lady Royals are looking to take meaningful steps forward both on and off the basketball court.
We caught up with Coach Baker ahead of the season opener against Dallas Christian College to discuss his expectations, the team's new identity, roster depth, and the challenging schedule awaiting the Lady Royals.
Building a Culture Bigger Than Basketball
For Baker, success this season will not be measured solely by the number of wins and losses. Instead, the second-year head coach is focused on creating a foundation that will allow the program to grow for years to come.
"Just a program of growth, togetherness, and family," Baker said when asked what he was looking forward to most. "Just getting things done to turn the program in the right direction. It's not about the wins and losses at this moment. It's more just about the growth of the program and pointing everyone in the right direction."
After inheriting a struggling program halfway through last season, Baker understands that rebuilding takes patience, accountability, and commitment. His first full offseason has given him an opportunity to establish expectations and begin shaping the Lady Royals into the program he envisions.
For Baker, that starts with developing relationships and creating a family atmosphere where players hold themselves and one another accountable.
New Faces, New Opportunities, Same Standard
The Lady Royals enter the 2026-27 season with a significantly different roster following the departure of several players from last year's team. However, with only two returning players, an athlete returning from injury, and a new recruiting class featuring freshmen and transfers, Baker believes the program is moving in the right direction.
When asked which newcomers and returning players have stood out during preseason preparations, Baker declined to single out any individual, instead praising the entire roster for its effort and commitment.
"I would say everyone. Everyone has risen to the occasion," Baker said. "They have done a great job in practice. They have come and worked hard. My vision is my vision, and my standard is my standard. And they have been living up to that standard."
While Baker acknowledged that the team still has room to improve, he has been encouraged by the progress he has witnessed throughout the offseason.
"They still have a ways to go, but at this point they are doing really well with the vision of the program and pushing things forward," Baker added. "I've been pretty excited about what I've been seeing in practice, around the school, and just within the community."
That commitment to improvement has Baker optimistic about the direction of the Lady Royals as they prepare to begin their season.
Versatility Could Be the Lady Royals' Biggest Strength
One of the biggest advantages Baker sees in this year's roster is its versatility.
Despite losing several players from last season, Baker believes his team has enough flexibility to create different lineup combinations and adjust to opponents throughout the year.
"Right now I have a slew of players that can play multiple positions," Baker explained. "I don't think we lack. Maybe size is something that we can add at the break."
Baker mentioned that adding post players through the transfer market during the midseason break could help strengthen the team's interior presence. However, he remains confident in the roster currently assembled.
With multiple players capable of filling different roles, the Lady Royals could feature a variety of offensive looks, including five-out and four-out, one-in formations.
"I'm in a great position because I have players that can play multiple positions," Baker said. "So even if I have to do five out, four out one in, I have a lot of different offensive sets I can go ahead and implement so that we can be successful this year."
That flexibility could become an important factor as Ecclesia faces opponents with different playing styles and personnel throughout the season.
Fast, Physical, and Aggressive: A New Identity
If there is one thing fans can expect from the Lady Royals this season, it is an aggressive style of basketball.
Baker wants his team to play with toughness, energy, and a relentless mentality on both ends of the floor. Through preseason practices, he believes his players have already started embracing that identity.
"I'm super excited because this team has taken on my identity," Baker said. "They're scrappy, they're fast, they're physical, they're aggressive. That's the kind of basketball you want to play in college."
Offensively, Baker wants the Lady Royals to push the tempo, attack in transition, and create scoring opportunities before opposing defenses have time to get set.
"You want to have that transition-first mindset," Baker explained. "I always tell them we're going to score first, offense later. So if we can push it in transition, I want to do that as much as possible."
However, Baker also understands that his team must be able to execute in the half court when opponents slow the game down.
"If it's different defenses that's thrown at us, we are able to adapt and we will be able to execute," he said.
With a roster built around versatility and athleticism, the Lady Royals hope their fast-paced, physical approach will create problems for opponents throughout the season.
Changing the Mindset and Embracing Adversity
Following a one-win season, the Lady Royals know there is plenty of work ahead. But Baker isn't placing a specific win total on his team's expectations.
Instead, he wants his players to embrace challenges, communicate openly, and develop the mental toughness necessary to compete at the collegiate level.
"I'm focusing on culture. I'm focusing on us coming together as a family and just changing the program," Baker said. "Just putting the program in the right direction."
Baker emphasized that accountability and honest communication will play major roles in the program's development.
"We have a lot of hard conversations, but I believe that hard conversations are going to get us to that finish line," Baker explained. "I don't sugarcoat anything with my group. If we have something going on, I'm going to attack it head-on, and we're going to push through."
Beyond basketball, Baker is committed to helping his players develop into responsible young adults who are prepared for challenges outside the game.
He also made it clear that excuses and a victim mentality will not be part of the Lady Royals' identity moving forward.
"We're not going to do that," Baker said. "We're going to take and go head-on with any problems or anything that we have and push forward because adversity builds champions."
That message could become the defining theme of Ecclesia's season as the program works to establish a stronger foundation.
A Challenging Schedule Built for Growth
The Lady Royals will not have much time to ease into their new season.
Ecclesia opens its 2026-27 campaign on October 24 against Dallas Christian College before traveling to face John Brown University on October 28.
The early-season schedule also includes a trip to Louisiana to face NCAA Division I opponent Northwestern State University, along with several challenging matchups against established NAIA programs.
While the schedule may appear demanding for a team coming off a difficult season, Baker says the challenges are intentional.
"Well, it's by design," Baker said. "I had some great help putting my schedule together and putting us into a position of facing adversity really, really early."
Baker believes competing against strong programs early in the season will provide valuable lessons that could benefit the Lady Royals when they reach the second half of their schedule and begin facing more NCCAA-level competition.
"We're going to play some really good teams," Baker said. "Those games are just to build up. Win, lose, or draw, I want us to fight as a team. I want us to come together. I want us to learn ultimately."
The philosophy is simple: challenge the team early, identify weaknesses, develop chemistry, and use those experiences to prepare for the most important stretch of the season.
"The first half of the season is about us learning and growing," Baker said. "The second half, if everyone is healthy, we're going to hit the gas."
A Homecoming to Louisiana
Among the most anticipated road trips on Ecclesia's schedule are two visits to Louisiana, a state that holds special meaning for Baker.
A Louisiana native, Baker will have the opportunity to return home when the Lady Royals take on Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.
The matchup will also allow Baker to reconnect with colleague Alan Frey.
Later in December, Ecclesia will travel to New Orleans for the Loyola Classic, where the Lady Royals are scheduled to face Loyola University New Orleans and Freed-Hardeman University.
The two-game event will provide another opportunity for Baker's squad to test itself against high-level NAIA competition.
"That New Orleans trip is going to be big," Baker said. "We're going to play two top NAIA teams in the country."
Although the competition will be difficult, Baker believes these games will provide opportunities for his team to measure progress beyond the final score.
"Like I keep saying, win, lose, or draw, it's about the battle, it's about the fight," Baker explained.
For Baker, success against stronger opponents can come from winning smaller battles throughout the game, whether that means controlling the rebounding battle, executing at the free-throw line, winning individual quarters, or coming away with loose balls.
"Winning the quarter, winning the different things during the game. Is that at the free-throw line? Is that rebounding? Is that 50/50 balls? It's a lot of different things," Baker said. "Those things will help us a lot."
Those small victories, Baker hopes, will eventually translate into bigger results as the season progresses.
A New Chapter for the Lady Royals
The 2026-27 season represents much more than another year of basketball for Ecclesia College.
It marks the beginning of Coach Reshad Baker's first full opportunity to build the Lady Royals program in his image.
With a revamped roster, an aggressive playing style, and a demanding schedule designed to challenge his players, Baker is laying the groundwork for what he hopes will become a competitive and respected program.
There will undoubtedly be growing pains along the way. The Lady Royals will face difficult opponents, unfamiliar situations, and the pressure of trying to move beyond last season's struggles.
But for Baker, the biggest victories may come from the lessons learned, the relationships developed, and the culture established inside the locker room.
As Ecclesia prepares to tip off its season against Dallas Christian College on October 24, the message surrounding the Lady Royals is clear: this year is about building something bigger than basketball.
And if Baker's players continue embracing his standards of toughness, accountability, and togetherness, the foundation for a new era of Lady Royals basketball could begin taking shape this season.
The journey begins October 24 as the Lady Royals hit the road to face Dallas Christian College in Farmers Branch, Texas.
#BeRoyal | Faith. Focus. Victory.