Jalin Barnes of the Barton Community College men’s basketball team has been named the KJCCC Player of the Week. Barnes becomes the second Cougar to win the award this season as Ahmad Walker earned the honor in week five.
Barnes shot 64% from the field for the week including over 66% from behind the arc and 68% from the charity stripe helping the Cougars average 101 points in a pair of victories over defensively tough Jayhawk West foes last week. Beginning the week matching his career high twenty-five points on 10-of-14 shooting including 2-of-3 behind the arc in Barton’s twenty-four point victory against Seward County Community College, Barnes recorded his ninth straight double-figure performance with twenty-two points on Wednesday helping a shorthanded Cougar team to its highest offensive output in the rivalry of its twelve point upset of No. 12 Hutchinson Community College.
Barnes has taken his game to another level during conference play raising his output by six points averaging 20.8 points per game while shooting over 55% from the field and 50% from behind the arc. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, the sophomore transfer from Howard College is averaging 14.4 points per game on the season reaching double figures in 15-of-19 games while grabbing 3.7 rebounds and dishing out 2.5 dimes per contest.
The Barton men are off to a 4-1 start to the conference season and 16-3 overall and leading Region VI at 93.9 points per game. Having a week off since its victory over Hutchinson, the Cougars will travel to Colby on Wednesday for an 8:00 p.m. conference matchup against Colby Community College.
