Matt Barnes Returns to His Home Court

The NBA lockout gave former Sacramento Kings player Matt Barnes an opportunity to return home and play some ball where his career began at .

The school held its Alumni Game on Wednesday, where Barnes, along with other Del Campo graduates, played basketball against the school’s existing team. The school’s althetic director Gary Summerhays said the school has been holding the alumni games over the past 10 years.

This year’s game is sponsored by the Boosters Club and is a fundraiser to raise money for Del Campo’s basketball program for things like equipment and new uniforms.

“I haven’t been here in 13 years, so to come back and play here, it brings back a lot of good memories and I’m excited to be here,” said Barnes, who played at UCLA and six other NBA teams before joining the Los Angeles Lakers. “Usually when they have this game, I’m playing, when I was in college and the NBA, so I’ve never even had an opportunity to come back.”

Summerhays said seeing former players unite is very tender and that it is very nice to see them come back.

A Wall of Fame induction was held for Summerhays during the game, who has been a coach with the school for 44 years.

Recognizing some of the prominent athletes has been something that the school just started doing around three or four years ago, Summerhays said.

Barnes, who graduated in 1998, was also inducted into the school’s Wall of Fame and had his number retired. He played both basketball and football while in high school.

He said he chose to make his career in basketball instead of football because it had more longevity.

“You know, even though I love football, I just know there is more longevity in basketball,” Barnes said. “I wanted to be able to walk when I was older.”

Despite playing basketball as a career, Barnes said what he misses most about playing sports in high school is that it was all about the sport.

“It was just sports back then,” he said. “I think that’s just what I miss. It was just pure sports back then and I love and I miss that.”

He reflects back happily about his time at Del Campo and said he made lifelong friends.

He also said the sports rivalry between Del Campo and Bella Vista did not really exist when he was a student because they usually beat Bella Vista in both basketball and football.

“I’d say the rival when I was here was Grant [High School],” Barnes said. “We got them in basketball and they’d always seem to catch us in football.”

Summerhays said Barnes serves as an example for other students to not sell themselves short and that it is possible to achieve their goals.

“[Barnes] was a great athlete when he was here, but there’ve been a lot of great atheletes come through that never made it to the NBA, but he’s one of them, so we’re just really proud of Matt,” Summerhays said.

Barnes said he still hopes that the Kings will remain in Sacramento.

“Sacramento has one of the best crowds, fan base and support in the NBA, and it’s disappointing to even hear about the Kings leaving,” Barnes said. “How much they mean to this community and even this city, really being the whole professional team. So to hear that they possibly can leave is disappointing, but like everything else in the NBA, it’s a business, so you just hope they can work things out.”

Other teams Barnes has played for include the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors.

What Barnes said was his biggest transition from other teams to the Lakers is their winning tradition.

“Anything less than championship is a failure, and even though that’s tough to live by, it’s an honor to play for an organization like that,” Barnes said. “I had a great time playing with the Kings, even though it was short-lived because the chance to play in my hometown was great. But being a Laker is a dream come true.”

Regarding the lockout, Barnes is hoping the players, association and the NBA owners will come to a common ground.

“Everyone wants to get back to play, but like I said earlier, my job is a business now,” he said. “The NBA is a business and we have to respect the business aspect of it, and you know, we need something fair for us to get back out there.”

Overall, Barnes said he was happy and excited to be playing basketball back in his home court.

“It’s good to be back,” he said. “I’ll always love Sacramento, even though I get a hard time for being a Laker. This is where I’m from and it’s good to be back.”

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2011 Men’s Alumni Roster

Millard Baker, 1989

Matt Barnes, 1998

Jason Barnes, 2002

Bobby Edwards, 1992

Gary Johnson, 2002

Spencer Ozmun, 1997

Jeff McGee, 1991

Josh Priest, 2003

Carl Reinderneck, 2003

Kirk Sadauskas, 1993

Eric Salazar, 2007

Shane Scott, 2005

2011 Ladies Alumni Roster

Coleen Kincheloe, 1987

Mikki Elftmann, 1997

Amber Surratt, 1997

Denae Huffman/Baggs, 1998

Anne Blaser, 2007

Janaee Cobbs, 2008

DJ Oaks, 2008

Jessica Biesanz, 2008

Alexa Novak, 2009

Sarah Standley, 2009

Sarah Davis, 2009

Kristen Schleeter, 2010

Sarah Noble, 2011

Juleta Saghatelyan, 2011

Kirsten Deal, 2010