Baugh, the super-nova, 6-foot-4 wing from Sacramento, Calif., doesn't really know anything else. Sharing - and trusting - has been a way of life, right down to the biggest occasions. Heck, when she turns 18 next Monday, the 21st, she is going to share the stage with her grandfather, Calvin, whose birthday is three days later, and her grandmother, Barbara, whose birthday is three days after that.

A week of Baugh birthdays. How perfect. Vicki was raised by Barbara and Calvin Baugh in Sacramento. The best birthday present for all of them probably would be a berth on the USA Basketball U19 team that will compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship For Women, July 26 through Aug. 5, in Bratislava, Slovakia. The trials for the USA squad begin Thursday.

It wouldn't be too far-fetched for Baugh to make the team, even flourish on it. After all, last year's USA trials and subsequent march through Americas qualifying is where Baugh left an indelible mark on a country that, to that point, hadn't known much about her.

Vicki Baugh

"I didn't think I did that well at USA," Baugh said, in her typically understated fashion. "I guess my talent was not as exposed as the girls from other areas, and it was cool to get that exposure. But I didn't feel I did great. I'm glad other people thought I did."

This, from the team's second-leading scorer (11.8 points) who shot a sizzling 60.6 percent as the U.S. mowed through five opponents in Colorado Springs, Colo. Baugh tied a USA FIBA Americas U18 record by snaring 13 rebounds, to go with 14 points, during a 121-56 rout of Paraguay that opened the qualifying tournament.

Perhaps Baugh's nonchalance about all of that is, in addition to not wanting to appear to stand out, she is truly accustomed to doing so. She is by far the tallest of seven siblings and, so far, the only so athletically inclined, though she is quick to point out that her younger brother, Vernon, is sprouting quickly and could have been a nationally elite basketball player had he not switched to football.

Baugh caught the basketball bug, tagging along with older cousin, Dwayne, who also lived with Barbara and Calvin Baugh.

"It was kind of a little sister thing," Baugh said. "I was always playing with the boys outside. I grew up playing more boy's sports than girl's."

Baugh's game was weaned during the outdoor runs with the guys. It is where she developed the versatility that leads many to believe she will help evolve women's basketball at Tennessee, where she begins in the fall. In street ball, Baugh points out, there are no positions, just players. In spite of her height, she was never forced to play the post until her freshman year in high school and, even then, she has been encouraged to step out and explore.

The team approach was ingrained. That was guaranteed by Baugh's family life, which is far from tragic and, in fact, is more embracing than most.

Vicki Baugh

Baugh's parents split before she was born and her mother, Anette McNeal, already was struggling and already responsible for two children by the time Vicki was born. Barbara Baugh, the mother of Vicki's father, Calvin Jr., came up with the idea of becoming her granddaughter's legal guardian when Vicki was three months old. Her husband agreed, and Vicki grew up in a stable household, surrounded by cousins and aunts and uncles. When she landed on her feet, Anette McNeal moved around the corner and lived there until she moved to Arizona two years ago. Calvin Baugh, Jr., lives minutes away and always is in touch.

"My mom saw how my grandmother was treating me, and that I was used to it, so she left me there," Baugh said. "But I visited all the time, stayed overnight, played with my brothers and sisters. My family life was not normal as in mom, dad, sister, brother in one household, but it was pretty normal, yeah. My family - we're all really close."

Baugh likes to carry that family atmosphere to the basketball court. She calls her Sacramento High School teammates her "sisters." She also chose Tennessee over Cal, LSU, Oklahoma and UCLA - the night before the early signing period - because of the feeling she got from the Lady Vols program and her strong feelings for coach Pat Summitt.

The growing edge of Baugh's game is a bit at odds with her outlook. She has the athleticism and skillset to, at 6-4, play o the wings, but needs a more-consistent shot. Developing such consistency means taking chances, and perhaps making errors, under game situations. And Baugh has figured out an approach that is more efficient and more consistent with team needs.

"If I feel like I can get to the basket whenever I need to, why stop?" she asks. "Besides, layups and free throws are the highest percentage shots. When I have to shoot an outside shot, I can.

"People saying I can't shoot from the perimeter," Baugh added with a laugh, "is a horrible rumor."

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Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams. Glenn previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work also has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here [1]. He can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com [2].

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