Ryan Barbre averaged 19.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals, and shot 90 percent from the foul line. S-T/Joyce Marshall
Player of the year Ryan Barbre, Sr. Arlington Martin
Arlington Martin had the ingredients for a strong team: experience, good guards and a strong post — Tulsa signee Kody Maduka.
But when Maduka broke his ankle just days into the season, the Warriors would have to play the rest of the way without him. Senior guard Ryan Barbre, a sharpshooter with a nose for rebounds and steals, lifted his game to fill the void. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals as the Warriors remade themselves, earning third place in District 4-5A and going 17-12.
In a late-season game against Arlington Sam Houston, Barbre scored 44 points, including the winning basket.
He was the only area player to shoot 90 percent at the foul line, going 102-for-113 (90.3 percent). He shot a lot of 3-pointers, and made almost half, going 69-for-158. And it almost didn’t happen. A stress fracture in his hip over the summer kept Barbre from practicing until just before the season started, and he wasn’t at full strength until December.
But from the moment Maduka was out, Barbre had the "green light," coach Jeff Plemons said. The Warriors followed his lead.
What did you do to get your shot ready? During the summer, I used to shoot anywhere from 300 to 500 shots every day. I tried to, anyway. The injury really set me back. I was really out of shape. Getting back into [shape] was really difficult. It was midway through the season, just before district, that I started feeling normal again and started playing good.
Did you feel like you had to take on the scoring load without Kody? Of course. He was going to be a big part of our team. Once he went out, I had to shoot a lot more. I played varsity as a freshman, and I remember seeing Dwight Thorne had the green light to shoot. I wanted to get to where I could do that at some point, so Kody’s injury was bittersweet for me. I didn’t want it to happen because it hurt my team, but it also meant I got to shoot a whole lot more.
Do you remember your best game this year? I had one game where I scored 44. I was just throwing it up from anywhere, and it was going. When anyone gets in the zone like that, if it doesn’t go, it’s a surprise.
Who was the toughest defender you played this year? Probably Parfait Kipasa of Bowie. He was pretty tough on D.
Do you have any talents no one knows about? I don’t know. I’m pretty good at video games. [Laughs] I can juggle. I’m really good at ping-pong.
Got any pets? Two dogs. Two dogs named Rusty and Toby. They’re little dogs, just lap dogs.