Project Title: Holiday Grid Photography Individuals to Photograph: Patrick Harrington Jr Erin Cooper Sam Mitchell Jacob Rice Amberlee White Jordan Holley Amari Nathaniel Deonte Russell Halle Volpe These Madison Zach Ellis
The University of Memphis women’s basketball team has neared regular season completion, and Taylor Barnes has emerged as a dependable force on the team.
The 5-foot-8 junior from Memphis has demonstrated outstanding capabilities as both a dominant player in the game and a shot-caller for the Tigers.
“My growth on the court has definitely attributed to my leadership abilities,†Barnes said. “I have learned who I am and learned to what we need to be as a team.â€
Barnes has played in all 21 games and started in 20 this season, and she has started in more games than any other player this season. She is third in both average points per game (9.8) and points scored in the season (205). Freshmen Alana Davis and Jamirah Schutes are No. 1 and 2 in both points per game in the season.Â
“I definitely think that I am the base, the foundation,†Barnes said. “I am that first block that a team can build onto. I think that I can keep the team in a certain calmness. People look to me when they need decisions or someone to look up to.â€
Barnes has played more minutes than anyone else on the team with 695, and she has averaged 33.1 minutes per game which makes for an average of 83 percent of a game. Naturally, she would be the foundation of the team.
“As the leader, whatever happens pretty much falls on you,†Barnes said. “Whether you guys succeed or don’t succeed it is really a reflection of how well you lead the team and how well you do as the leader.â€
Barnes has been noticed as an educated leader, having made the Dean’s list four times in her college career. Barnes started the semester with 19 credit hours and plans to graduate early.
Barnes said she is not the kind of leader who steps in if something goes wrong, but rather someone who leads from start to finish no matter what the score.Â
“We’ve been down a lot in the season, and we’ve fought back,†Barnes said. “I think we flip the switch, and we just realize what we can do, and we wake up. I don’t really think there is someone in this conference who is just 10 points or double digit points better than us.â€
The most recent example of this was against Tulsa when the Tigers faced an 11 point deficit in the third quarter. The Tigers fought back and did everything right to win the game, 59-56.
“I may not score a lot of points, or I may not come out and have a great game,†Barnes said. “But I feel like me being on the court brings a sense of security to the team because they trust me.â€
Barnes said she has been molded into the leader she is today, and she plans on continuing her improvement as the season goes on. She also discussed the team’s goals for the remainder of the year.
“We have talked about how we need to finish the season above .500,†Barnes said. “We want to go later in our tournament and hopefully, make it to postseason play.â€
With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers will have to win six of their final eight to end at above .500. The Tigers are currently at .500 in conference play and could start the AAC tournament with a strong spot if they continue their winning ways.
