MONROE — Rosie Barnes is a talker.
With his razor-sharp memory, infectious laugh and wide array of compelling stories, he can captivate nearly any audience.
But the man considered to be the greatest basketball player in Monroe High history could not find any words when his alma mater retired his No. 10 jersey at halftime of a boys basketball game on Friday, Jan. 9.
“I was speechless,” Barnes said.
When told how unusual that is for him, Barnes let loose a hearty laugh.
He had to agree.
That’s how complete the surprise was for Barnes.
He was lured back to the school to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1975-76 team that was ranked No. 3 in the state and went 22-1, suffering its lone loss in the regional final.
No one spilled the secret of his jersey being retired.
“They got me,” he said. “It was a total surprise.”
Barnes still holds the school record for career points with 1,248.
He was the Monroe County Region Player of the Year and a unanimous all-stater in 1975-76 when he averaged 26.5 points per game.
He set a school record on Feb. 20 of 1976 when he scored 50 points in a 107-84 victory over Lincoln Park. He also logged 15 assists in a game and finished with 408 in his career.
Barnes went on to enjoy a great career at Bowling Green and was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1980.
He coached Redford Bishop Borgess to a state championship in 1997 and later returned for a stint as the head coach at Monroe.
Barnes says Friday’s honor ranks among his career highlights.
“I am grateful to the people who made it happen,” he said. “All of my accomplishments are due to the great teammates I had around me. I could not have done it without them.”
Team members Earl Vining and Robert Lee have passed away and Ronnie Johnson, Audie Cole and Jose Evans were unable to make it to the reunion.
That left Barnes to celebrate with Calvin Johnson, Jeff Kaiser, Chuck Smith, Eddie Hall, Dave Vensel, Bobby Wood and Barry Campbell.
“There were eight of us,” he said. “It was great. … We are just happy to be alive. Everyone had health stories. We had a little get together afterwards. One of the guys said, ‘I have to get home and take my medications.’ Everyone is dealing with something.”
Barnes, who had to overcome some health issues during his coaching tenure at Monroe, looks like he could still play at the age of 68.
“I am blessed,” said Barnes, who has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “I thank God every day.”
He tries to pass the blessings on to others. He spoke to Monroe’s current varsity team before Friday’s game against Bedford.
“I talked about how to represent their high school, their city and their families,” he said. “What is meaningful is how you represent yourself as a Trojan.”
Barnes now lives in Southfield after retiring from DTE, but proudly brands himself as “forever a Trojan.”
The current Monroe High building was brand new in the 1975-76 season. The basketball team packed the gym to the rafters almost every time it played.
“People were parking out on M-50 (a half mile away),” Barnes recalled.
The Trojans did not disappoint the big crowds.
“What I remember most is how we competed as a group,” Barnes said. “We never lost a home game in two years. We learned how to compete. We brought it. Even in practice. If it was a running drill or a shooting drill, it didn’t matter.”
Barnes credits coach Bob Eldridge with bringing out the best from that Monroe team.
“As a group, we were highly competitive and we had a good coach who was able to blend that talent together,” he said.
The 1975-76 Trojans also healed some divides in the city.
“The community support we had was something,” he said. “At the time, there was a lot of racial tension because of integration. I remember race riots in the tenth grade.”
Barnes and his teammates turned the conversation to hoops.
Friday’s celebration of the 1975-76 team was only part of a night of memories at Monroe High.
The evening also featured the 16th induction ceremony into the schools athletic hall of fame.
Two of Barnes’ idols growing up were part of the class.
Elliott James, a 1965 graduate, was there to enjoy the ceremonies. The three-sport star was the Most Valuable Player and leading scorer for the football team. He ran for 292 yards in a game and scored on a 100-yard kickoff return.
He helped the basketball team win two district championships in his three seasons. The track and field MVP long jumped more than 20 feet and high jumped 6 feet.
The late Willie Jones Sr. was one of Barnes’ coaches growing up. He also starred in football, basketball and track. He was Monroe’s first football all-stater.
Other Hall of Fame inductees were softball player Hollie (Nagel) Behnke (Class of 1996), soccer player Cassidy (Lay) Sweger (Class of 2007) and the 2004 girls basketball team.
Behnke was a four-year starter who was named all-state her senior year when she batted .456. When she graduated, she held school records for runs in a season (43) and career (112).
Sweger, also a standout in basketball, finished with 56 career goals, including 32 in 2007. She went on to play three seasons of soccer at Saginaw Valley.
The 2004 team is widely considered to be the greatest girls basketball team in school history. It set a school record with 22 wins and won a regional championship before bowing out of the state tournament with a loss to eventual state runner-up Detroit King.
Gretchen Elliott and assistant Matt Benge coached the team that was made up of Ashley Bunkelman, Lindsay Gaynier, Jaelyn Stringer, Charlotte Firchau, Jessica Ford, Sarah Howe, Kelsey Kyser, Jasmine Martin, Megan Peters, Jade Gaston, Kendra Stader and Lay.
Readers can contact Monroe News sports editor Niles Kruger by e-mail at nkruger@monroenews.com or calling 240-5782.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe celebrates anniversary by retiring jersey of Rosie Barnes
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
