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The time is right for a classy exit from Barnett

ROCHELLE — The finality of it all hadn't hit Bob Barnett yet.

Throughout Wednesday's 66-54 loss to Rockford Lutheran in a Class 3A sectional semifinal, Hampshire's hall-of-fame coach acted the same as he had throughout his 13 seasons at the school: professionally.

In fact, if anyone in the gym wasn't aware Barnett on Feb. 23 had announced his intention to retire at season's end, they would have been hard pressed to tell as the game progressed. The 54-year-old former all-state forward from Oregon, Ill., was engaged for all 32 minutes, something he admitted recently he'd been having trouble with during regular-season games in January.

Barnett began shuffling players in and out with Hampshire trailing by 12 points early in the fourth quarter, switching for offense and defense, possession by possession, managing personnel right until the very end. In came Luke Tuttle and Brennen Woods. Out came Ajiri Oghale and Matt Llamas. And so on.

With 6:03 left he walked out on the floor after a timeout to speak to the referee about a call he didn't like, trying everything he could to help his team right to the very end. It was a calm, gentlemanly conversation, the kind “the new Bob” has been holding with referees since he suffered two heart attacks on the opening day of the 2012-13 season and was forced to miss 6 games.

With Hampshire down double digits in the final minute, Rockford Lutheran spread the floor to run out the clock. The culmination of 31 seasons as an Illinois high school boys basketball coach — the last 28 as a head coach at Franklin Center, McHenry, Hinckley-Big Rock and Hampshire — came without fouls as the Whips-Purs conceded.

Barnett said he began to think about the finality of it all as those final seconds ticked away, allowing memories of some of his 459 career victories and 304 losses to cascade through his conciousness.

But despite the emotional importance of the moment — compounded by the fact that Barnett's father, Keith, 75, passed away on Monday, two weeks after suffering a stroke — Hampshire's coach remained composed as he shook hands with each of the Crusaders and accepted the congratulations of the opposing coaching staff.

It wasn't until after he had put his long-discarded sportsjacket back on and was headed to the locker room that his wife, Marcie, caught up to him.

Barnett leaned in and kissed his bride and said, 'It was a good ride, huh?' ”

Only then did a tear sneak out of the corner of his eye, the same kind of involuntary tears players shed when they realize their careers have come to a sudden end in the playoffs.

“That's when it kind of hit me,” Barnett later told reporters. “But you know what? It's been a great ride. Thirty-one years. It's been a lot of fun.”

Given a new lease on life since his health issues, the veteran coach intends to savor every moment.

“I get to spend a lot more time with (Marcie) and our three grandkids,” he said. “That's what I'm looking forward to. Like I said, I wouldn't change anything for the world. It's more time … ”

Then he paused briefly, removed his glasses and apologized to reporters gathered in a semi-circle as he wiped away tears.

“It's more time I get to spend with my family, especially after losing dad. I'm going to do that. I'm going to start enjoying my life — not that I haven't for the last 30 years — but there are things that we want to do, and I want to do. So that's what we're going to do, we're going to have some fun.”

Barnett said he was proud of his career in retrospect. He said he loved to teach the game the way it was taught to him: have pride in what you do and respect the game because it's bigger than you are.

“I hope I've touched some kids' lives,” he said. “I know they've touched mine and made me a better person, so I hope that's happened for them.”

Rockford Lutheran locks in, shoots past Hampshire

Images: Hampshire vs. Rockford Lutheran, boys sectional basketball

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