ELKINS — Paxton Barnett raced down the right side of the court, his 6-foot-4 frame gliding with long strides.
With the basketball curled between his right hand and wrist, Barnett rose high above the rim and threw down a windmill dunk, then flashed a huge smile when his feet landed back to the court.
This is a common scene at basketball games in Elkins and has been for the past three seasons, but the time is rapidly approaching when the senior guard will no longer be hammering down dunks for the Elks.
“This has gone by really quick,” Barnett said of his varsity basketball career. “I just remember freshmen year, I’d be in the gym working out with the senior guys and kind of learning from them, and trying to pick up things from them. And I’m here now, and it’s like a little bit more than halfway through the season … it’s crazy to think about.”
Barnett has been an all-state player for the Elks for the past two seasons, and he’ll likely add to that after this season ends. Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, Barnett is averaging 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for Elkins (16-3, 4-2 3A-1 East), who is in the thick of the battle for a conference championship despite back-to-back losses to Waldron and Charleston last week.
His impact on the program is not lost on fifth-year Elkins coach Jared Porter, who played collegiately at Jacksonville State.
“Paxton is the complete package,” said Porter. “He is an amazing student, a 4.0 student. He is a leader in practice, in the weight room. He does a little bit of everything on the floor. He can shoot it, put it on the floor, score. He can go inside a little bit. He has been an amazing member of our program since he’s been here.”
Barnett was a key cog for the Elks since his sophomore season. As a junior, Barnett helped the team advance to the Class 3A state tournament and capture the 3A-1 East Conference title with a 13-1 mark, 26-6 overall.
The Elks are gearing for the postseason, playing in one of the toughest 3A conferences and regions in the state. Besides Charleston and Waldron, led by high-scoring Payton Brown, Elkins knows the regional will be loaded with teams from the 3A-1 East, including juggernaut Valley Springs, led by Isaac Ragland, and Clinton. Bergman will also be a stern test with Elijah Royce capable of putting up big numbers.
“The goal is always postseason,” Porter said. “You always want to do as well as you can in the postseason. So every day for us is to get better for the opportunity to get to play in district regional and into the state tournament. We just take it day-by-day and move forward.
Porter says the 3A-1 West this season is the best he can remember.
“Every night you better bring it or you’re going to get caught,” Porter said. “We respect everybody in this conference, and we know that night-in, night-out, there is a lot of good basketball being played in the 3A-1 West.”
Barnett is not just a one-sport specialization athlete. He is also an all-state high jumper and won the 3A state high jump title as a junior. Just a few weeks ago, he set a personal-best at an indoor meet, clearing 6 feet, 6 inches.
He attempted 6-6 last spring at the state meet, but his heel clipped the bar and fell. This time around, he landed flat on his back on the mat, and the bar held firm, setting off a personal celebration.
“I just remember last year that I was so mad at myself,” he said. “All I had to do was lift my heel a little, and I’d have cleared 6-6. But this year, on the first time out, I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to get something in the 6-4 range,’ but I actually got 6-6, so I was proud. I had two other guys jumping with me, and they got it with me, and we were just hyping each other up.
“I looked up, and my athletic director and track coach started yelling, and my heart started racing. I tried to keep my composure, but inside I was like ‘Yes! Let’s go!’”
Barnett, who spends his summers helping his grandfather on his farm, has received an offer to continue his basketball career at Ecclesia College. Playing at the next level is something he has dreamed of, he said.
The recent losses are something Barnett and his team hope to use as motivation over the final month of the regular season and into the playoffs.
“We use that to fuel ourselves,” he said. “We remember the bad things and try to tweak them. We just have to grind them out and learn from them. We have to play harder and take care of the little things.”
Paxton Barnett
SCHOOL Elkins
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 6-4
NOTABLE A two-time all-state selection and three-year starter for the Elks. … Helped the team earn a Class 3A state tournament berth last season. … Averaging 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2 blocked shots per game. … A multi-sport standout who also earned all-state in track last spring after winning the Class 3A high jump. … Cleared a personal-best 6 feet, 6 inches in the high jump recently.
Chip Souza can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAChip.
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