How a Catawba Ridge guard molded himself into one of the best prep players in SC

The basketball gym at the Indian Land YMCA is almost empty at 6:30 a.m.

If you happen to make the trip this summer, you might see Lance Barnes alone, working on his shot and developing his change of pace.

He’ll take a break around noon to eat before hitting the court again for another hour or two. Then, he’ll take a break as he heads to Catawba Ridge for basketball practice.

Barnes commits to this routine multiple times a week as part of his dedication to working out on his own every day. It’s part of a work ethic that makes head coach Brett Childers call Barnes “a grinder.”

This has helped the 6-foot-4 junior guard establish himself as one of the best high school basketball players in the state.

As a sophomore, Barnes averaged 19 points, five rebounds and four assists for Catawba Ridge en route to earning region co-player of the year and all-state honors. He also plays with Team United in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).

Barnes has offers from programs like Coastal Carolina, Charlotte and South Carolina State.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it,” Barnes said. “I feel like everywhere I go, I’m going to have a target on my back, especially in playoff games. They know your name, they know who you are. People are going to try to trash talk you and get in your head. It’s a lot that it comes with.”

Barnes has starred for Catawba Ridge in his freshman year, earning all-region honors in his first varsity season. Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers said that Barnes was pretty shy and reserved during his freshman year and started to become more vocal last season.

Now, as the most experienced member of the Copperheads, Barnes will have to play the role of the seasoned veteran and lead by example, just like the upperclassmen did for him in his first two seasons.

“I learned a lot, especially about being a leader and stepping up in big moments,” Barnes said.

“It’s been different. Back when I was a freshman, I had Grant (Lovette), Landon (Foley) and Zyan (Hager) all taking me under their wing, showing me what to do, being leaders towards me. Now I have the responsibility of taking on that role and doing it for the younger guys.”

Catawba Ridge lost five seniors from last year’s region-winning team that advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Childers said losing all that experience from the lineup is difficult, but that’s the essence of high school sports. He’s just glad he has talented players he can rely on to help iron out any wrinkles during the summer.

Junior Quh’mareon Webb was the third-leading scorer on last year’s team, averaging 9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Catawba Ridge also added 6-foot-10 junior forward Mark Caslaru, who moved over from Nation Ford.

Barnes has taken a lead in helping the team build some chemistry, saying he’s most excited to just bond with some of the new guys on the varsity squad heading into the upcoming season.

“My job is to put them in the right spots, and I need to see where they’re at and where we need to go,” Childers said. “It helps to have somebody like Lance, obviously. He’s a good weathervane for us. He steers the ship and directs everything up there. It helps those guys seeing him operate, so they know what level they need to get to.”

Catawba Ridge’s boys’ basketball team will play Tuesday and Wednesday at the Camp of Champs hosted at the Upward Star Center and USC Upstate in Spartanburg.

This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 6:00 AM.