Darron Barnes on his commitment to Massanutten Military Academy
It’s almost overwhelming how much the game of basketball has changed over the last 20 years. Nowadays, you hardly ever see offenses designed around a big man who does the majority of his scoring on the block. Frontcourt players are now expected to play more like guards, but still be able to be a force in the paint. Furthermore, the power forward position has changed drastically to the point where now some of the players that fill that position are expected to bring the ball up the floor initiate sets as well as battle down low on defense.
In the end, it’s all about being versatile, and that’s exactly what Darron Barnes is.
The 6’6 230-pound point forward was exactly that for a Wise team that finished 21-1 this season. Wise was a nationally ranked team and held the number one spot in the Washington Post for the majority of the year. Although they failed to reach their ultimate goal of capturing the Class 4A State Title after losing in the semifinals to Quince Orchard, the Pumas were a team that won’t be forgotten anytime soon and Barnes is a big reason why.
Barnes averaged 13.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and four assists in his senior campaign. He garnered the attention of many colleges receiving offers from the likes of Radford, Maine, Towson, and Manhattan. After careful consideration with his family and head coach Rob Garner, Barnes decided attending prep school would benefit him most at this time of his life. Recently he announced that he would be attending Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, VA.
Massanutten has become one of the best prep schools in the region. Barnes was choosing between Massanutten and Hargrave Military Academy, but chose Massanutten because of his relationship with the coaching staff.
“I took a visit a couple of months ago and met the whole coaching staff,” Barnes told PrepHoops. Head coach Chad Myers has already put together quite the resume since taking over at Massanutten compiling a 110-26 overall record that includes four National Elite 8 appearances. In his four year as head coach, Myers has sent 18 of his players to Division I schools.
Barnes hopes to be another name on that list after he completes his post-graduate year. While he is grateful for the schools currently offering him, Barnes feels that with one year to work on his weaknesses, he can become an even better player than he is now.
“My jumpshot and range, losing some weight, sharpening my ball handling skills, making them even more advanced,” Barnes said in accordance to what he will look to improve on next season.
The decision to attend prep school isn’t only because Barnes wants to improve on the court. With Massanutten being a military academy, it institutes many routines that require discipline of the attendees.
“It’s a military academy so it embeds discipline and consistency, waking up early morning, being up late nights, those basic rules would help me grow as a man,” Barnes said.
The stop at Massanutten helped this year’s John R. Wooden award winner, Frank Mason, get to where he is today. Mason had originally committed to Towson coming out of high school, but decided to attend Massanutten to help improve his game and college list. When it was all said and done, Mason went onto play for Bill Self at Kansas and is now preparing to hopefully hear his name in the NBA Draft.
Barnes has those same aspirations of playing in the NBA. The process in doing so is a difficult and grueling path, but if you’ve ever seen Barnes play, toughness isn’t a quality that is questioned.
(Marc Stern of CapitolHoops.com recently did a documentary on Barnes)
(Feature Image Credit: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)