Nate Barnhart carving out a role in the Cowboys' rotation

But since Jan. 10, Barnhart’s role has expanded for the struggling Cowboys. He’s been on the floor for 106 minutes in UW’s last six games, including a season-high 31 in a 82-74 road loss to Air Force last month.

“It feels great,” Barnhart said. “It feels great to be out there and to be an impactful guy for the team. I just want to keep putting in the effort to try to get us wins, so right now, it feels pretty good. It feels really good.”

A big part of Barnhart’s expanded role has been the absence of starting forward Graham Ike, who hasn’t played a game this year after being ruled out with a lower right leg injury less than a week before the season-opener. Ike announced late Friday afternoon he would sit out the remainder of this season and take a redshirt year because of a foot injury.

Despite Ike’s absence, it still took Barnhart more than two months to work himself into the starting lineup. Barnhart’s first career start was against Air Force, a game in which he scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with six rebounds and two blocks.

Barnhart’s performance in the loss against the Falcons was enough for third-year coach Jeff Linder to utilize his size in the post more moving forward. Barnhart’s best game of his career came during Tuesday’s 85-62 win over Fresno State in Laramie.

In 23 minutes, Barnhart scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including two 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, two blocks and one assist in the 23-point win.

Barnhart’s play over the past month hasn’t just impressed Linder. It’s started to rub off on his teammates who have seen Barnhart blossom over the last two seasons in Laramie.

“Man, he has taken a huge step,” forward Jeremiah Oden said after Tuesday’s win. “To be able to do that type of thing midseason really speaks to his poise and his work ethic. Nate is special. Just some of the stuff he does out there it’s like, ‘Whoa,’ sometimes. It’s good to see him start to come into his own, and he’s just scratching the surface.”

Barnhart’s tall frame and bright red hair have established him as a fan-favorite for the Cowboys as of late. With the Cowboys struggling out to a 7-14 overall record and a 2-7 record in the Mountain West, Barnhart has been one of the few bright spots during a stretch where UW has lost nine of its past 11 games.

“The fans have been great,” Barnhart said. “They’ve helped boost my confidence. Just hearing them support me every time I check in, it’s been an awesome experience.”

Tuesday’s game against Fresno State was Barnhart’s second career start and the Cowboys’ 15th different starting lineup this season, a mark that leads all of Division I. The lineup against the Bulldogs was UW’s biggest starting lineup this season, featuring Barnhart, Oden and forward Hunter Thompson.

Going big paid dividends for the Cowboys, who out-rebounded the Bulldogs 45-22. Barnhart, Oden and Thompson combined for 45 points and 22 rebounds during the blowout win.

“I expected to play, but not necessarily start,” Barnhart said. “Obviously, we had Graham, and it sucks to lose him. I was hoping I was going to get to play, but I was not thinking this much.”

A large part of the Cowboys struggles this season has been due to injury, with key players like Ike, Hunter Maldonado, Brendan Wenzel, Kenny Foster and Thompson all missing multiple games for various injuries or illnesses. Going into the team’s 22nd game this weekend, Xavier DuSell is the only player to have checked in during all 21 of the Cowboys’ games thus far.

The tides have started to turn with the injury bug, with all but two players returning to the lineup against Fresno State this week. Ike and Foster were the only two players not available against the Bulldogs, a game Linder played 11 guys in for the first time since November.

Wenzel, who missed five games with a knee injury before returning against Fresno State, is still not 100%, Linder said. But once he fully recovers, Barnhart believes the Cowboys could be poised for a solid run to finish out the last month of the regular season.

“I think we’ll become very dangerous once Wenzel is fully healthy and we have everyone back,” Barnhart said. “We’re definitely going to be a good team. We are a good team now, but we’re going to just keep getting better.”

Barnhart has experienced the difference between high school and college basketball firsthand during his first season suiting up for the Cowboys this winter. While he’s still adjusting to the speed of the game, there’s a lot more that goes into playing college basketball than just going out and playing, Barnhart said.

“The biggest difference has definitely been just the physicality and the smartness of the players,” Barnhart said. “It’s a huge step because everyone is working out every day and trying to be the best that they can both physically and mentally. Everyone is watching film a lot more, and the game just comes a lot quicker.”

A big help for Barnhart adjusting to the college game has been his experience with going against Ike every day in practice up until his injury, even dating back to last season, when Barnhart redshirted. Ike was named the MW preseason player of the year in October before his injury was announced.

“That time was so impactful,” Barnhart said. “Guarding the best player in the league and the best big man in the league, guarding him every day, that really prepared me for guarding these other big men in the league during games.”

Barnhart’s role has continued to develop as the season churns along. With Ike being ruled out for the rest of the season with his injury, the biggest motivator for Barnhart moving forward is to continue building on the momentum created over the last month of the season.

“I want to just keep trying to build my confidence,” Barnhart said. “That comes with practices and game time. I also want to improve on my physicality and my strength so I can battle down low with those bigger guys.

“I just need to keep working on pushing back and to keep getting stronger.”