SEQUIM — No North Olympic Peninsula boys basketball player elicited crowd reactions this past season like Sequim’s Alex Barry.
Of course, no other player had quite the all-around game that Barry possesses.
Gasps, normally followed by “oohs” were commonplace when he would spot up, launch and connect on 3-point attempts with range that seemed to stretch back to the locker room.
Already an outstanding shooter heading into his senior year, the 6-foot-5 Barry honed his game in the offseason by getting shots up in the gym.
Thousands of shots.
“[Last] summer I put up 1,000 shots every day from everywhere on the court,” Barry said.
“Not just 3s, but different types of shots: pull-ups, catch-and-shoot, runners.
“I did work on shooting a little deeper, too. I wanted to keep stretching my range to feel comfortable shooting from deep.”
While his shooting stroke and long-distance dexterity were the most awe-inspiring aspect of his game, Barry was the complete package for Sequim, leading the Wolves in every major statistical category . . . and most minor ones, too.
Barry had per-game averages of 20.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.7 steals, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocks as Sequim finished 16-8 overall, a game back of first place in the Olympic League, and a game short of the regional round of the Class 2A state tournament.
After the season, the accolades rolled in for Barry, much like he strolled through the lane for layups.
He was voted the Olympic League 2A MVP and earned honorable mention honors on The Associated Press’ Class 2A All-State team.
Barry also has been voted All-Peninsula Boys Basketball MVP by area coaches and Peninsula Daily News sports staff.
“He did a little bit of everything for us, and that’s an understatement,” Wolves coach Greg Glasser said.
“Scoring, rebounding, blocking shots, finding the open man. And he provided a really strong defensive presence for us, especially when we went to that 2-3 zone.
“His length just overwhelms you.”
Barry had some monster individual performances this season.
This included a 37-point, 17-rebound and four-block game in a 20-point win against Neah Bay, and the go-ahead 3-pointer along with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to stifle a potential Port Angeles upset bid in the rivals’ first matchup.
He was the biggest thorn in the Roughriders’ side again in the team’s second matchup, scoring Sequim’s first eight points and sending down a slam dunk late as he put up 18 points, nine boards and seven steals.
Those are Russell Westbrook-esque numbers, although Barry wears the same number and models his game after Oklahoma City Thunder forward (and former Seattle Supersonic) Kevin Durant.
“This year Alex had to find different ways to score,” Glasser said.
“We knew teams would try and lock him down on the perimeter, so he had to not only score and hit open jumpers but he had to grow his game and go to the hoop.”
It’s been a steady climb for Barry, starting as a reserve as a freshman playing more and earning a starting role as a shooter and defender of the opposition’s best scoring threat on a Sequim team that made state his sophomore year.
As an upperclassmen, Barry shouldered the bulk of the scoring load and continued to pile up high totals in the other stat categories.
He will leave Sequim as the program’s career rebounding leader, second all-time in steals and blocks and third in career points with 1,130.
“We talk about where he ranks with the best Sequim players I’ve coached,” Glasser said.
“Players like Ary and Corbin Webb, John Textor, Gabe Carter and Jayson Brocklesby.
“They are all different types of players, so it’s difficult to compare them, but he certainly is at that level.
“We won’t be able to replace him next year, that’s for sure.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
