Valparaiso junior Lillian Barnes allowed an element of “woe-is-me” thinking to creep into her mind.
But after a second straight injury-interrupted offseason, the 5-foot-10 point guard also managed to see the bright side.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Barnes said. “At first, it’s like, ‘Why does this have to happen?’ Then you just realize to take the good things out of it.
“Just being able to watch from the sidelines, you pick up so many things, and knowing how to take care of your body off the court, I’ve learned a lot when I’ve been injured.”
Barnes, a highly recruited prospect who has about 15 Division I offers, has picked up virtually every accolade possible in her first two high school seasons. The two-time Duneland Athletic Conference MVP was named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Underclass All-State Supreme 15 in both seasons.
But between her freshman and sophomore seasons, Barnes missed about four months with a stress fracture in her lower back.
This time, between her sophomore and junior seasons, Barnes had surgery for a torn meniscus in her right knee, which sidelined her for about six weeks.
Tendinitis in her knee also flared up during fall workouts. She missed two more weeks and was cautious when she returned.
But unlike last year, when Barnes missed the opener and eased back into action for the first two weeks, she has had no limitations out of the gate this season.
“I feel good now,” she said.
Her statistics have indicated as much. She was averaging 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 11.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots before the Vikings (1-2), who are ranked No. 19 in the state coaches poll, lost to No. 16 South Bend Washington on Thursday night. Those numbers include 15 assists and nine steals in an overtime loss to Penn, a stat line that impressed first-year Valparaiso coach Kelly Kratz.
“I’ve never in my life written a stat where it was 15 assists — she had 15 assists against Penn,” Kratz said. “The way she can change a basketball game is just so impressive. She had nine steals and got her hands on a lot of basketballs. You just watch her, and it’s inspiring to watch. Her teammates can feed off of that.”
Junior guard Bri Fincannon agreed that Barnes drives the Vikings.
“She’s really improved since last year,” Fincannon said. “I basically would call her the rock of our team. I know a lot of people on other teams are going to be like, ‘Double-team Lilli, double-team Lilli.’ But we have other assets on our team that really help her out and give her the assists she needs and give her the ball when she needs it.
“Not only is she a good guard, but she can post people up, which really adds to her dynamic as a player.”
Kratz’s appreciation for Barnes has only grown. Kratz coached Merrillville during the previous three seasons after joining that staff in 2014. She has gained perspective from working with Barnes on a daily basis.
“Scouted her for years,” Kratz said. “Voted her every year as the conference MVP for a reason. The amount of ways she changes a game is just really impressive. She’s an all-around player. She’s a hard worker. She’s an overall great kid.
“Basketball aside, you can’t compliment her enough as far as just being a wonderful example for the community. We’re really proud of her.”
Kratz recalled interacting with Barnes shortly after being hired for the Valparaiso job.
“When I met her, my No. 1 impression was just a warm individual,” Kratz said. “Always smiling and being respectful, asking questions. Zero ego — she probably should have a little, but she doesn’t.
“We met each other in May, and I got to see her on the court. She was slowly progressing, coming back from knee surgery, and she did everything right, did everything the right way. She wanted to come back earlier because she’s just hungry for the game. It’s been awesome to be part of. She’s just going to continue to get better because she’s the hardest worker out here. You can’t say that about every kid you come across, but she’s just hungry to be the best player she can be.”
Barnes said she connected with Kratz from the outset.
“We love our new coach,” Barnes said. “She came in, and we immediately formed a relationship with coach K.
“When we first got together and we were having open gyms every day, right away, we respected her. She came in ready to work, and we were ready to listen. It’s just been a process every single day, and it’s been a really fun process. I like learning from her.”
That process includes Kratz’s words of wisdom on recruiting. She starred at Chesterton, graduating in 2006, and then played at Valparaiso University.
“She’s asked me about the recruiting process, which has drastically changed,” Kratz said. “I would not say I was recruited nearly as much as she is. But I just let her know she’s allowed to have opinions about where she wants to go, and you’re allowed to have your space because everybody wants a piece off Lillian Barnes. She wants to talk to this person, and this person’s texting her, and you’re allowed to say ‘no’ — and because she’s so nice, she rarely does.
“But we’ve talked a lot about it, and she shares her insights. She’s gone on some visits, and just taking it day by day and enjoying the ride. And that’s what I told her — she should be having fun with it. You get to choose where you want to end up. The moment it’s stressful to you, you’re going about it the wrong way because you have options. Let’s take it day by day and enjoy high school basketball, and I think she does.”
Barnes has been intentional as she figures out her college plans.
“I haven’t narrowed down any options so far,” she said. “I’m still thinking about it. I haven’t come to anything set in stone. But I do hopefully want to be committed by senior year, over the summer possibly.”
Barnes averaged 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 5.7 steals during her freshman season, when Valparaiso won its first sectional title since 2005. She followed up with 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 4.4 steals last season as the Vikings won their first regional title since 2004.
“Every day she’s trying to add more to her game,” Kratz said. “Never, ever is she satisfied. She’s hungry to be the best player she can possibly be. As a coach, it’s just a pleasure to be a part of and to watch.
“She loves the game of basketball. Basketball brings her joy, and you can see that in the way she plays, the way she interacts with her teammates. She just wants to play. She just wants to play basketball and go to the next game and ask questions and see what we can accomplish as a team.”
Barnes has 1,000 career points in her sights, and making the Indiana Junior All-Stars would be meaningful to her. But she’s mostly focused on continuing to improve and trying to help the Vikings advance even deeper in the postseason.
“After my injury to my knee over the summer, I’ve been going to rehab and getting stronger and eating right,” Barnes said. “I just realized how important it is to take care outside of the court. That’s been the big thing.”
