Barnett Makes Pick
Notre Dame post-graduate Jake Barnett committed to the University of Toledo on Wednesday morning, ending what had been a lengthy recruiting process for the Wisconsin native.
When Barnett first arrived in Fitchburg, Massachusetts this fall, few could have predicted he would have as big of an impact as he ultimately did…both on Notre Dame’s basketball program and their campus as a whole.
From a basketball standpoint, it was hard to believe that Barnett would be able to handle the physical demands of such a high level of competition, as his skinny frame was the first thing you noticed when looking at him. But after putting on 15 pounds of muscle in his first two months at school and showing his hardworking approach to the game and willingness to do the dirty work every day during open gym, Barnett had earned himself a spot in Notre Dame’s rotation to start the season.
He struggled at first, as it was evident that he had never before played at a level of competition that was both so fast and so physical. But it didn’t take long for the 6’5” swingman to hit his stride, and by mid-season head coach Ryan Hurd had a new starter at the two-guard position.
Barnett’s progression would only continue from there as he continued to get stronger and more confident. He was especially impressive in the last quarter of the season, playing several good games at the National Prep School Invitational in February. But Barnett may never have been better than he was ten days ago in the first round of the National Prep Championship as he connected for 22 points in a disappointing loss to Brewster Academy.
“He really just blew up after that Brewster game,” Hurd told the New England Recruiting Report.
All of a sudden his recruitment went from a list of schools located primarily in the America East and NEC to a variety of other mid-major schools around the country, with even a couple of high majors like UNLV and Marquette expressing some interest.
Earlier this week, Barnett took an official visit to the University of Toledo. He returned to Notre Dame’s campus late Tuesday night, and after sleeping on it for a night, he called Rockets head coach Gene Cross first thing on Wednesday morning and made his verbal commitment.
“Jake came here [Notre Dame Prep] without a whole lot going on and left here with no less than eight legitimate division I scholarship offers,” Hurd said, “and that speaks volumes to his level of work and the amount of exposure we’re able to offer here.”
And while there’s little doubt that Barnett’s year at Notre Dame has made a lasting impact on his life, Hurd says that impact goes both ways.
“He’s been a dream,” he said. “He’s changed the prototype for what we are going to look for going forward for our school. He understood the mission of our school, looked to help other kids and was tremendous not just on campus, but in the community as well...At one point he was even contemplating holding off on his commitment, just to get other schools in the gym to see other kids.”
Now Barnett will take that selfless, hard-working approach with him to Toledo, where he is looking forward to the challenge of being a part of the program from the ground up.
“He has really bought into the opportunity to help build a championship program at Toledo,” said Hurd. “He’ll have a chance to make an immediate impact and he’s only going to get better because he’ll put in the work.”
Jake Barnett