COLUMBIA, Mo. – In his last game inside Mizzou Arena, Jordan Barnett scored 43 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead Christian Brothers College High School to an 86-77 overtime win over Hickman to claim the 2014 Missouri Class 5 State Championship. Head coach Kim Anderson announced Tuesday that the Texas sophomore forward, a former CBC star and top recruit from the Show-Me State, has transferred to the University of Missouri and joined the program.
A 6-7, 215-pound forward, Barnett will sit out as part of his transfer requirements for a year-long period and be eligible to play in the second half of the 2016-17 season as a junior.
Barnett was widely considered one of the country’s Top 100 players coming out of high school, as he was ranked 70th overall by Rivals.com and 86th by ESPN.com. He averaged 20.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior for CBC, leading head coach Justin Tatum’s team to a 25-7 overall record and the state title. He was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s All-Metro Player of the Year at the conclusion of his final prep campaign.
“We’re excited to have Jordan join our Mizzou Basketball family,” Anderson said. “He’s an outstanding basketball player, but most importantly, he’s an exceptional young man from here in the state of Missouri from a good family. Over the course of his college career, Jordan has shown his potential in both the classroom and on the court. We know he is eager to represent his home state on the biggest stage.”
Barnett also led CBC in scoring as a junior and sophomore, averaging 17.7 points and 14.2 points during those respective seasons. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Cadets to an appearance in the Missouri Class 5 quarterfinals.
A former standout on the Nike EYBL circuit with the St. Louis Eagles, Barnett received coaching from current Mizzou assistant coach Corey Tate, who served as the Eagles’ head coach prior to coming onboard in Columbia for the 2015-16 season.
“I wanted to come back home to play,” Barnett said. “I‘ve been around Mizzou a lot growing up, so I’m very familiar with the school. It really feels fitting that I’d be back here. I am excited to play for Kim Anderson, because I know he is a good person and a great coach.”
Barnett appeared in four games at Texas as a sophomore this season, averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. In his final appearance for the Longhorns, he recorded 12 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of action vs. UT-San Antonio (Dec. 8).
Barnett scored a season-high 11 points vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 16, 2014) as a freshman, appearing in 21 games overall and averaging 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
The son of Karen Barnett and Bob Bonner, Barnett was born Dec. 31, 1995, in St. Louis, Mo. He has one older half-brother, R.J. Bonner, and one older half-sister, Chelsye Witcher. His father played basketball collegiately at Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, Texas).
— Mizzou Athletics —