Heading into the 2023-2024 basketball season, there wasn’t much known about the 6’0’’ guard from Inglewood, Calif. Barrington Hargress was entering his redshirt freshman year, and second season with the Highlanders, filling the shoes to eventually become the starting point guard for head coach Mike Magpayo.
However, it didn’t take long for Hargress to assert his presence on the basketball court, as he was inserted into the starting lineup in game four of the regular season against national powerhouse, North Carolina. Despite the loss at Chapel Hill, Magpayo left Hargress in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season, as he went on to average 13.6 points per game in conference play.
The relationship between Hargress and Magpayo seemed to flourish as the season went on, and Hargress accredited some of his development to him. “[Magpayo] has been so huge in my growth, just understanding what’s gonna get it done. He’s always telling me ‘winning is hard…’ and he was great with me, understanding that mistakes were gonna come with a young guard.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Highlanders right out of the gate last season, as they began conference play 3-8, requiring a late season surge to get into the postseason.
However, the Highlanders ended the year 8-3, and Hargress ended the season with a 3.14 assist/turnover ratio, good for first in the Big West. “It’s not gonna be simple things that make you improve, being detail oriented and watching film, understanding how to not make those turnovers…it came with a lot of repetition and mistakes [in practice] really.”
While the Highlanders didn’t end the season how they wanted to, losing in the playoffs to eventual conference champions, Long Beach State, Hargress was named Big West Freshman of the Year. When asked about when he thought he had a chance to win the individual honor, he kept the team first, saying “I’m not really always focused on the awards, it was my redshirt year so I was just happy to be on the floor. I didn’t play the season before…and [we] look at team success first and my success was coming [because of] the team really, what the guys were able to create for me.”
Hargress wasn’t the only standout freshman on the team last season, as forward Kaleb Smith was also in the running for the award. “[He] was right up my tail for it. It was just good to have a good team overall and whatever awards we could get is just the cream on the top, but really we were just trying to win the whole thing.”
Hargress and Smith are two of many Highlanders on the basketball team that call California their home, and University of California, Riverside has done a solid job recruiting athletes who are home grown, especially in Southern California.
Hargress credits part of his development to his upbringing, sharing, “Sometimes I can have people [at the games] that watched me grow up, and to show what I’ve been able to grow into, all the grind and work I’ve put in, it’s huge to have that pride and be at your home, having your whole city behind you, it’s great.”
On Nov. 4, 2024, The Highlanders will open their season on the road against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, Ore., taking on a new Big Ten member. Their first home game will be against La Sierra University, on Nov. 14, 2024. The Highlander men’s basketball team is seeking its first Big West Championship in the school’s history, and the school is ready for a much anticipated season!
