Olympus basketball: Nick Barney profile

In late April, I visited Olympus High School and interviewed Nick Barney, whose progress during the season made a big difference in the Titans' resurgence that eventually led them to the 4A state title game. Here is the article that will appear in the Olympus boys basketball yearbook.

Nick Barney:

Moving him into the starting lineup
was one of the season's big successes

By Bruce Smith

Matchup

                 Olympus coach Matt Barnes was in a quandary only a couple of games into the 2011-12 basketball season.

            The Titans had a 1-3 record and the upcoming five games included four 5A powers and one of the teams favored to win it all in 4A – Bountiful.
            Losing seasons aren’t the norm at Olympus. He needed something – or someone – to energize the team and chose to make an adjustment at guard. He thought Nick Barney and Jake Bengtzen could do it (having coached them earlier in the year on the golf team), so he moved them into the starting lineup.
            It was a memorable day for everyone involved.
            “One day at practice, he (Barnes) pulled me aside and said we needed to make a change,” Barney recalled. “I was playing a lot already, but I was thrilled.”
            At the time, Barney probably didn’t know the pressure the coach felt. Months later, the move turned out to be one of his Barnes’ best decisions of the year. Not only did Olympus win four of those games, the Titans kept going. Over a six-week span, they left the court unhappy just one time.
            “I didn’t start him and I wanted to see how hungry he was and how tough he was,” said Barnes, proving again that hindsight is always 20-20. “He has proven to be a team leader and someone who can hit big shots when it counts.”
            The difference was likely confidence. As the season progressed, so did its guard play.
            “I have never done anything that meant as much as what we accomplished this year,” said Barney, who played on the junior varsity team in 2010-11. “It was a great season. What I really liked is all the support I got from people.”
            Barney ended up being Oly’s third-leading scorer. Listed at 6-foot-2, he averaged 7.3 points per game and 3.8 rebounds. He scored in double figures eight times – mostly in key games.
            * - In Barney’s first game as a starter, the Titans charged out to a 14-4 lead over Bingham and were never threatened.
            * - At Bountiful, Barney was double-teamed in the corner as the Titans looked for a final shot. He somehow found Parker Rawlings open and Rawlings nailed the game-winning shot.
            * - At Skyline, he nailed three treys as the Titans had one of their best-shooting nights of the season in a 54-45 win.
            He had a career high of 17 points in the Titans’ “Senior Night” win over Murray that resulted in them winning the Region 7 title.
            Barnes said it was Barney’s play over the second half of the season that made a real difference. In fact, he was thrilled following Barney’s 15-point, 8-rebound performance in the Titans’ win over Provo in the 4A state tournament that gave them a chance to win the school’s first-ever state championship.
              “Nick has had a terrific second half the year,” Barnes said. “You talk about his offense, but he also did a great job for us on the boards. He carried the load in the first half and then continued to hit big shots for us. He hit some big threes. He did a great job tonight. He was awesome.”
            Barney called that his overall best game – and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
            Playing in the state tournament was nerve-wracking for everyone. There was a six-day break between Oly’s final regular-season contest and the tourney opener, which occurred on a Tuesday. Then there was the adjustment of bussing to the Maverik Center at different times of the day, and still having to go to school.
            “I was getting migraines,” Barney said. “I was getting too wrapped up in the tournament and it was tough to sleep. Coach tried to keep things as normal as possible, but none of us (players) could really think. Our teachers were talking about it (the tournament).
            “I hope they didn’t expect us to do homework.”
            After graduation, Barney said he planned to do homework at BYU, then go on an LDS Church mission.