Chatter about the absence of Valparaiso sophomore Lillian Barnes has been greatly exaggerated.
Yes, the 5-foot-10 point guard missed the better part of four months with a stress fracture in her lower back.
No, the precocious star who earned virtually every accolade possible as a freshman and holds a dozen Division I offers is not out for the season.
“We knew what we were getting with her,” Valparaiso coach Candy Wilson said. “Nobody else did. In the back of my mind, I was like, ‘They don’t know what’s coming. We do. And it’s a good feeling.’
“Now they know what’s coming. A lot of them thought she would be out for a while. I heard a lot of rumors that they thought she was going to be out for the season. But quite the opposite. She’s ready to go.”
Just about.
Barnes, who averaged 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 5.7 steals last season, was not scheduled to play in the Vikings’ season opener Thursday night at West Side. She’s likely to debut either Tuesday against Kankakee Valley or Nov. 11 against Bishop Noll.
“We’re going to work her in next week,” Wilson said. “Where that falls, we don’t know yet. But that’s the ultimate goal. And obviously it’s not going to be a million minutes right away. A lot of it’s going to be in practice working her way into it and getting some minutes here and there in games and ultimately getting her back to 100% by the end of next week.”
Wilson said the decision ultimately rested with medical personnel.
“She’s fully healed,” Wilson said. “They just wanted to wean her into everything. They have to gradually get her into it. We don’t want to do too much too soon. So they have to get her in shape and have everything feeling good when she’s doing it. So far, it’s been great.
“She’s a tough kid, a really tough kid. You watch her, and it’s like she hasn’t missed a beat. It’s just getting into shape now and strengthening everything in her core. We have our strength coach and our trainer working with her, and she has a physical therapist. We have a whole group of really good people working to get her back.”
Barnes had been sidelined since late June. She had an MRI two weeks ago, and when it revealed she had healed, she said she returned to practice at “half-speed.” She was cleared to go full speed on Monday, and Wilson said Wednesday was the first time Barnes went full contact on both offense and defense.
“It’s going pretty good,” Barnes said. “They’re trying to ease me back into it so I can get back to where I was and keep going from there. The doctor said I got the stress fracture over the summer just from growing and playing a lot. They said it would take some time to heal, and I did.”
By no stretch of the imagination did Barnes enjoy being out of action.
“It was definitely tough,” she said. “I’m glad to be back. But it gave me a different perspective. I still went to all of our AAU games and watched our practices. It gave me a different perspective from watching it and playing it, seeing different passing lanes and options I could do when I got back.”
It’s a scary premise for opponents, considering her already preternatural passing ability. Barnes, who said she believes she’s still 5-10 despite looking as if she’s grown since last season and who projects an even greater sense of maturity, had been focusing on advancing other aspects of her all-around game.
“I’m going to have some more jump shots in my game,” she said. “I was working on that a lot before I got hurt, and just getting back to it. Last year I was more of a driver and more dominant in that area of the game. But I hope to be able to shoot more threes and create shots off the dribble for a jump shot occasionally.”
Wilson noted how Barnes progressed in other ways while she was sidelined.
“She loves to play — just loves to play,” Wilson said. “She was just miserable not playing. This has been tough for her. But it kind of helped her develop, though, the other side of the game a little bit, with her verbal and leadership skills and getting involved with things that weren’t on the court as much. In the long run, that will help her develop. You have to make lemonade out of lemons.”
Teammates, including senior forward Raegan O’Halek, have been happy to have Barnes back on the court.
“We missed her over the summer,” O’Halek said. “She’s been working her butt off to get back for the team. She has all the skills. She can do so much. We’re all very excited to have her.”
Last season, Barnes led the Vikings (23-3) to their first sectional title since 2005 before they threw a scare into top-ranked and undefeated South Bend Washington in a Class 4A regional.
She was named the Duneland Athletic Conference most valuable player, and she was picked for the inaugural Indiana All-Stars Futures Game and the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Underclass All-State Supreme 15 list.
“It was definitely more than I expected,” Barnes said. “It was definitely a good season. But I hope to be better this year.”
Even if it takes a spell for Barnes to round into form, Wilson sees no reason why she won’t be better as a sophomore.
“What can’t she do?” Wilson said. “She just keeps getting better and better. She was so explosive last year. We knew what we were getting. I don’t think anybody else did. We knew what was coming. She was anything but a freshman last year. We’re going to build on that. She has more experience, more knowledge.”
Even before Barnes played a high school game, she had three Division I offers, with hometown Valparaiso being the first. The number has swelled to 12, and the programs include Purdue, Ohio State and Butler.
“At first, it definitely was a little overwhelming,” Barnes said. “I felt a little pressure to play good. But as I’ve been playing more and getting used to the recruiting experience, it’s been a really fun process, and I’m grateful for it.”
