Oak Grove’s Jay Barnes already had a reputation of being a prolific shooter entering basketball season, and despite standing at just 5-foot-11-inches, it was not an uncommon sight to have him double- or even triple-teamed.
However, Barnes elevated his game by developing his defense to complement his shooting and leadership in the Warriors’ playoff run. Barnes’ critical role helped Oak Grove make its first-ever appearance in the 6A semifinals, which earned him the honor of Pine Belt Sports Boys Basketball Player of the year for the 2020-21 season.
“I’m proud,” Barnes said. “It shows that the hard work that I have done has paid off. Waking up in the early mornings and the late nights just shows that everything is paying off. I know I have to keep going and not stop at the next level.”
Barnes averaged 20 points, five assists and three rebounds per game. As successful as Barnes was on offense, his main focus throughout the season was developing his defensive presence.
“For myself, I was already known for scoring the ball and making good passes, but I really focused on my defense a lot more,” said Barnes, who is committed to Mississippi Valley State. “As a smaller guard at the next level, I’m going to have to defend. I just wanted to prove to people that I could be a great passer too because as a point guard, I have to be able to pass the ball really well and have good vision too.”
According to Oak Grove coach Laron Brumfield, he challenged Barnes to be more physical in order for Barnes to be a true team leader.
“Jay always wanted to be the leader,” Brumfield said. “I remember telling him in his junior year that he didn’t have what it takes to be a leader yet. His offense was good, but he had to be a leader from the defensive end. When you start stopping your man from going by you, you know you can turn to your guys and (pump them up).”
In addition, Brumfield credited Barnes for his understanding of the need to share the ball in order to become a better point guard.
“Jay has had a great career and has been a great player for us,” Brumfield said. “He really needed to start relying on his teammates more. Early in the year, he did it occasionally, but once we started playing well, he started trusting and believing in his teammates. When he and Dylan (Brumfield) went to the basket, they were going to get double- and triple-teamed. Other guys were going to have to make some shots. When you start having confidence in your teammates to make plays, that takes a lot of pressure off yourself. That made him a better player. That made his senior season that much more special.”
Throughout the season, Barnes was challenged to take more charges. While he admits he took at most two charges throughout the regular season, he made it a point to take one throughout the playoffs.
“It’s crazy because I might have taken one or two charges out of the whole regular season, and then in the playoffs, I took one every game except against Starkville,” Barnes said.
In Oak Grove’s 59-57 overtime win over Terry, Brumfield recalled one of Barnes’s proudest moments as he showed immense enthusiasm after taking a charge in the game.
“We had been on him about,” Brumfield said. “The next dead ball after (that), we are shooting free throws, and he comes over and says, ‘Hey coach, how’d you like that charge?’ That’s when I knew Jay was going to play some defense.
“In a moment like that, when you are excited about taking a charge, you know he gets it and is going to be something special. It was almost like he was going to show me. He kept getting better with his defense. A leader, for me, is not the things you say but the things you are willing to do. A true leader is someone who gets out there and does the work. They don’t just talk about it. It’s easy to just talk about it. “
For Barnes, the win against Terry was perhaps the most important of the season since the Warriors had previously lost in the second round the year before.
“Last year, we lost in that round in the Sweet 16 game,” Barnes said. “In order for us to make it far into the playoffs, we knew that game would be the toughest. That would be the game that would determine if we went far or fall short. Being up for the majority of the game and then in the fourth quarter, Terry came back and went into overtime. It came down to the wire, and it just showed how much the team has heart. It showed how hard everybody plays for each other.”
While Oak Grove fell short in advancing to the state title game, Barnes takes immense pride in knowing that he and his senior class left their mark on the program and left it better than when he started.
“This was a really big year for the guys and seniors,” Barnes said. “We had been in the program for so long, and for us to get a shot to make it to the state game was a great feeling. We feel like we left our legacy with Oak Grove.
“Before I was in high school, Oak Grove was never a basketball school. It was always mainly known for football and baseball. I think we left our mark and showed that Oak Grove is a basketball school too.”
