One of the bigger surprises at the Meramec basketball tournament last week was the play of CBC sophomore Jordan Barnett.
An athletic 6-foot-7, 185-pound forward, Barnett averaged a team-best 17 points and five rebounds. He also blocked 13 shots during a four-game run that carried CBC from the No. 8 seed to the second-place trophy.
"He's starting to understand his capabilities and how good he can be," CBC coach Bob McCormack said. "He works extremely hard in practice at his game. When you've got a kid like that that's as young as he is, it's really a joy to coach him every day. To see him come out and perform the way that he did in this kind of atmosphere, it's great for CBC and it's great for St. Louis high school basketball."
Barnett, who turned 16 on Dec. 31, averaged 4.3 points over 20 games as a freshman, a mark that ranked fifth on a team that went 19-8 and finished third in the Metro Catholic Conference.
Through 13 games this season, Barnett is averaging a team-high 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots. He has made 51.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (18 of 35) and 72.7 percent of his free throw attempts (32 of 44).
"Last year he was just kind of a role player," Vianney coach Kevin Walsh said. "Obviously, it was The (Darion) Rackley and Seth Jackson Show. Those guys were so good; he was just a limited role player. This year he's being much more aggressive offensively. He's stepping away from the basket. He's showing his ability to score there. He's a sophomore. That does not make me happy."
Barnett has drawn early attention from schools like Missouri and Butler, and it seems likely recruiting interest will grow. He said he has yet to receive his first scholarship offer, but that could come any day as more schools get to take a look at him in person.
CBC, which improved to 9-4 with a win Tuesday at Chaminade, also has another promising sophomore prospect in 6-3 guard Patrick McCaw, who is averaging 11.4 points and making 32.7 percent of his 3-point attempts (17 of 52).
DE SMET'S MOELLER HAS OFFERS, INTEREST
De Smet senior center Eric Moeller is having a good season in his first year as a starter for the Spartans.
Coach Kevin Poelker said in the preseason that Moeller grew so much during his sophomore year that he suffered fractures in his back and missed the entire season.
A 6-11, 200-pounder, Moeller averaged 3.1 points and appeared in just 12 varsity games a year ago as a junior.
Now, Moeller is healthy and showing glimpses of what he is capable of as one of De Smet's go-to players. He is second on the Spartans in scoring (13.1 points per game), rebounds (5.4) and blocked shots (0.91) behind junior standout Nolan Berry, who has committed to Butler.
Colleges took notice this summer and have been in pursuit ever since.
"I have offers from Arkansas State and Denver, and Belmont and Missouri State are still really interested," he said.
Moeller took official visits to Belmont, Arkansas State and Denver and has taken an unofficial visit to Missouri State.
"I like all the schools I've been to," he said. "Denver has a great campus. But Belmont and Missouri State are still really high. I just went on my trip to Belmont recently and I loved it there. I'm going to focus on the season and not worry about that."
UNIVERSITY CITY WR EMERGES AS PROSPECT
Alex Henry of University City emerged as one of the area's top wide receivers this fall, and the senior's play sparked the interest of college coaches.
The 6-2, 180-pound Henry caught 57 passes for 1,231 yards, averaging 21.6 yards per catch and scored a team-high 14 touchdowns.
"I've got a few offers from a couple mid-majors, D-1AA-type schools," Henry said last week. "I'm trying to get all my visits in and then make my decision after that."
Henry, who is playing basketball this winter, has three schools he likes.
"I'm going to visit Tennessee-Martin," he said. "I'm going to visit Murray State. Carbondale, they've actually offered another receiver (a scholarship), but they said if he doesn't sign (I'll get the offer); I'm going to go there the next week. They are my top three."
