Barnes Begins 14th Season As Boys’ Basketball Coach At Andrew Jackson Academy

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher

 Ehrhardt — Third year Andrew Jackson Academy athletic director Josh Barnes, who  is also beginning his 14^th season as the head boys’ basketball coach at his alma mater, making him among the longest tenured head coaches in the history of the school.

 Coach Barnes is a Vice-president bank manager by day at the Palmetto State Bank in Hampton. After graduating from AJA in he went on to graduate from The Citadel in 2002 with a degree in Business Administration.

 Last season Coach Barne’s boys’ varsity basketball team set a school record with 26 wins against five losses while winning the region title with a 9-1 record.  Shooting guard Brenden Brantley established a new record for points in a season with 768 points after averaging 25.6 points a game.  Brantley will be trying out for the basketball team at Coastal Carolina this year. Senior guard/forward D.L. Johnson set a school record for double-doubles last season after averaging 17.8 points and 12.9 rebounds a game. Johnson is still contemplating a school choice but hopes to playing at the next level somewhere.

 Graduated point guard Robert Clark will be on the basketball team at Charleston Southern after averaging 13.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and six assists last year for the Warriors.

“We might not win as many games with our boys’ basketball team this season but over the summer we had a lot of younger players working hard all summer,” said Coach Barnes. “We had a very strong group of freshman and sophomore boys coming through the program right now. Some might play varsity and some might stay back and play junior varsity but we should have a very good basketball program for the foreseeable future.”

Last year Coach Barnes estimated around 65 boys participated on basketball teams in grades five through seniors,  on either a “C” team,  a “B” team along with a junior varsity and varsity basketball teams. With that kind of feeder programs at a SCISA school success is sure to come by helping develop players in the lower grades.

 David Johnson returns to coach the girl’s varsity basketball team and they made vast improvement last season making the playoffs.

 Chad Gleaton will return for his third season as the head football coach.  In 2022 the team moved up to 11-man football after being the most dominant team in state history in the SCISA 8-man ranks winning four titles in five seasons in recent years. The team managed only three wins as an 11-man program last season, and just recently Coach Barnes tells the HSSR that SCISA recently approved AJA to go back down to an 8-man schedule.

“We simply do not have the participation in football we once had,” said Coach Barnes. “We can only play a regular season schedule and we will not be eligible for the play-offs. We will be given the schedule for either Cathedral, or Charleston Collegiate from last season because the two teams dropped football. SCISA has not told us which schedule we will have yet.”

The varsity football team worked out 15-16 players in the weight room over the summer. The Warriors will participate in a jamboree hosted by Jefferson Davis Academy in early August. 

 The junior varsity football program will be coached by John Paul Jones who will also assist with the varsity.  Ben Reeve will also serve as a varsity football assistant.

 The volleyball team will be head coached by Michael Chassereau who had some prior coaching experience in the AJA volleyball at lower levels a few years ago. He will now serve as the head volleyball coach at AJA for the 2023-24 school year. The HSSR witnessed a summer conditioning work-out Coach Chassereau had with the team in June and he was asked about the potential success of this year’s team. 

“We are going to be young but we do have three starters back,” said Coach Chassereau. “They are senior back-row player Rebekah Chassereau, senior outside hitter Ali Polk, and freshman McKinney Beard who can play about anywhere we need her. She can set, play in the front or on the back row.”

 Other potential starters include sophomore Carly Smoak who could see time as a setter along with junior Sydney Crosby who could see action on the back row. Rileigh Barnes is a junior who can play in the middle, or on the back row, Freshman Carrigan Moore will see time on the front row.

 Other members of the team working hard to secure playing time are junior outside hitter Brianna Crosby,  freshman back row player Mary Gray Hiers, first- year player Aliona Kinard, sophomore front row player Bella Carigg, along with junior Alei Grace Formby.

“These are a great group of girls to work with,” said Coach Chassereau. “My goals are always to win the season opener and then compete to win the region. I think we can be competitive.

“I tell my players that when you make a mistake on the floor, to forget it, and focus on winning the next play,” said Coach Chassereau. “I am all about hustle and disclipline. We do not want any team to out-hustle us.”

The AJA team will begin the season at home August, 14 against Patrick Henry.

 The varsity baseball team will once again be coached by Jason Mathys who played college baseball at Iowa State. After college he played for a few season in the New York Yankees organization as a pitcher.

“Coach Mathys is an accomplished baseball player and he brings great disclipline to the athletes we have in the baseball program,” said Coach Barnes. “He does things the right way and he will no doubt build a strong program.”

 At press time Coach Barnes said the head coach for the softball team was still up in the air. Jessica Mathys finished a very successful season in the Spring in her second year as head coach. She had indicated she would not be back next season. Her rising sophomore daughter, Elena Mathys, will be attending the Governors School in Hartsville this year. Because her new school does not field a softball team she has been approved to play softball at Hartsville High School, a very competitive AAAA program.

 The varsity cheer coaches are Ashley Barnes, starting her third year, along with her assistant coach Stephanie Brandt. The junior varsity cheer coach will be Rhonda Jones.   

 After many years of outstanding and devoted service to AJA, as the Head of School, Jamee Barnes has resigned to devote more time to his family farm that includes over 100 Angus Beef that must be fed twice a week. Coach Barnes will coach the boy’s B team basketball squad this season.