Barr rewriting the record books during phenomenal sophomore season
MORRISTOWN, TN – What Asia Barr has done for the Walters State women's basketball team during the 2023-24 season has been remarkable.
However, somehow it turns even more incredible when you learn Barr has never played point guard until this season.
Entering postseason play, Barr is averaging 15.7 points per game for the Lady Senators. She's first in the conference and fourth in the country with 90 3-pointers. Those 90 three's are also a Walters State single-season record.
And it doesn't stop there for Barr, who is second in the conference with 134 assists. She averages 5.4 assists per game.
"In my 13 years, there hasn't been a point guard even close to doing what Asia has with her not playing point guard before in her life," Walters State coach Jasmin Coleman said. "Asia is tied for first for career 3-pointers and is number one in single-season 3-pointers. The first year, I saw what she could do. We just had to get her to understand. She's learned to do a really good job."
For a lot of shooters, it's all about that first shot. If it goes in, they're more than likely going to have a strong showing. However, if that first shot doesn't find the bottom of the net, it could be a long night.
But Barr isn't like that. That was none more evident than when the Lady Senators played Volunteer State on January 29. In that game, Barr started off cold before heating up in a hurry to the tune of 10 3-pointers. She finished with 30 points and broke the school record for 3-pointers in a game.
"If I hit that first shot, I feel into the game," Barr said. "But if I miss a couple of shots here and there at the start, I don't get too down on myself. I just keep shooting. If I'm not hitting at the 3-point line, coach tells me to find other ways to score and get the ball. I have teammates that pick me up too to make sure I am in the right headspace and don't get down on myself."
While that game was the first time she broke the school record for 3-pointers in a game, it wasn't the last. Just a month later, February 28, the Lady Senators took the floor against Roane State.
That night, Barr hit her first three she attempted. Then, she hit another. And another. And when that final horn sounded, Barr had hit 13 3-pointers.
"I didn't realize I had that many three's until one of my teammates told me," Barr said. "I was kind of in shock until the end of the game and, even then, I was still trying to remain composed."
However, for Barr, the offensive production doesn't stop at her scoring ability. Her vision and passing ability are second-to-none. Barr has had over five assists in 18 games this season.
That balance of scoring and passing is what sets Barr apart from most point guards and is something she prides herself on.
"If I call a play for a teammate and they score, I know we need to go back to them," Barr said. "We do a good job of spreading it out if something isn't working, too. And if we're struggling offensively, I know I have to step up and get the offense going."
As a team, the 2023-24 season has been one with ups-and-downs. On December 16, the Lady Senators fell in overtime to Shelton State to fall to 4-5 on the season.
Despite the tough loss, that seemed to turn the Lady Senators' season around. Walters State went 13-3 the rest of the way. Barr credits that turnaround to the team starting to understand the Walters State culture and what Coleman expects out of them every day.
"We've had ups and downs, but I think we have learned a lot as a team and are starting to understand more of what coach Coleman wants," Barr said. "I feel like I have improved on seeing my worth and potential as a point guard. I've gotten a lot more in tune with coach and feel like I have stepped up to help this team a lot."
Walters State will begin their postseason journey on Sunday, taking on Roane State in the TCCAA Tournament at Motlow State at 7 p.m. ET. The Lady Senators are the No. 3 seed, a spot unfamiliar to Walters State. The Lady Senators have been the No. 1 seed all but two years since 2010.
For Barr and the Lady Senators, they understand that this is not a normal seed for Walters State and they're set out to prove that they're still the Lady Senators that the state of Tennessee is used to seeing.
"The mindset is most definitely to get back and prove that we are Walters State," Barr said. "We shouldn't be in this position to start off, and I feel like everyone on the team knows that we're not just playing for ourselves but for Walters State. Walters State is a name that has been going around for a very long time and are known for those records, and we don't want to be the team to mess it up."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics