MILWAUKEE - Bryce Barnes of Chicago, Ill., has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Milwaukee Panthers, it was officially announced today.
 
"I am excited about his passion for the University and for Milwaukee basketball," head coach LaVall Jordan said. "His character and values are right in line with our basketball program and the type of young man we want to recruit. Bryce is an excellent student and a quality young man. As a player, he adds athleticism to our roster. I am excited about what he brings to the table defensively. As a leader and teammate, I think he is somebody that the guys will love having in the locker room."
 
Barnes, a 5-foot, 10-inch point guard who becomes Jordan's first signed recruit, was a four-year varsity player and three-year varsity starter at Bogan Prep in Chicago. As a senior, he led his team to a 20-8 record and a spot in the 2016 IHSA Boys Basketball Sectional Finals.
 
A two-year team captain for the Bengals, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.7 rebounds per game his final season on his way to earning Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A/4A Third-Team All-State honors. In addition, he was named Third Team Chicago Sun-Times All-City as well as First-Team All-City CPS.
 
He netted a season-high 38 points in a game against John Marshall back in December and helped Bogan earn a CPS City Championship in 2015 and a Red South Conference Championship in 2014. As a junior, the team went 23-7 overall while Barnes averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.
 
Barnes also played for the Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit and was the co-winner of its Summer Award for "Most-Improved Player" in Illinois from the class of 2016. He averaged 16.6 points per game in the regular season and topped that with a 19.6 ppg average at the Nike Peach Jam.
 
In the classroom, Barnes holds a 5.0 grade point average on a 5-point scale. He is described as "a tough, strong and competitive point guard who provides an on-the-ball defensive presence" by the Chicago Sun-Times and was ranked as one of the top seniors in Illinois according to www.getbucketsillinois.com.
 
 
 
 
-Story photo courtesy of Darlene Randall Twitter feed