Breakout season: Woods' Barnes, Coach McClung earn top RSC honors
Mar. 5—It's been quite a season for the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods basketball programs, and for the Pomeroy men, it's not over.
Both programs received multiple honors Monday night from the River States Conference. Highlighting the list is men's team standout Cobie Barnes, who picked up the River States Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year Awards, as well as a spot on the All-RSC First Team. First-year men's coach Jesse McClung has been named the River States Conference Coach of the Year.
Barnes is a senior guard from Floyds Knob. He is second in the conference averaging 23.1 points per game. Barnes is a transfer from SIU-Edwardsville in his first year at SMWC to garner RSC Newcomer of the Year honors.
McClung took over this season as Pomeroys head coach after being a top assistant at Marian University. McClung has led SMWC to a big turnaround with a 25-5 record, the RSC West Division championship, and an NAIA national tournament qualification in his first season. Last season, the Pomeroys finished with records of 10-17 overall and 5-13 in the RSC.
McClung and the Pomeroys in the RSC Tournament championship game 7 p.m. Tuesday night at top-seeded Point Park. In the preseason poll, the Pomeroys were picked to finish last in the conference, but put together a 17-1 record in league play to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
Also honored by the RSC were Shon Tupuola, who was named to the All-RSC Second Team, while Greg Jenkins was named to the Third Team. Additionally, Braden Edington earned a spot on the RSC Champions of Character Team while Dakota Sampson and Jesse Burdick were named to the RSC Scholar-Athlete Team.
On the women's side junior Brooklyn Jones was named to the All-RSC First Team. The Loogootee native averaged 14.8 points per game and hit 52.2 percent of her shots from the field in leading the team to a third-place finish in the league as well as an 18-11 record.
Madison Fueger was named to the All-River States Conference Second Team while Destiny Thomas and Irye Gomez were third team selections. The women's basketball selection to the RSC Champions of Character Team was Madison White while Abby Worley, Abigail Parker, Allyson Hardiek, Jones, Thomas, Haley Polson, Hope McGuire, Kylee Stepp, White and Talyssa Moody were all named to the All-RSC Scholar-Athlete Team.
