During a record-setting season for the UC Riverside Highlanders men’s basketball team, redshirt sophomore guard Barrington Hargress has been the pacesetter, breaking the team’s single-season scoring record.
“Barrington has been the consummate leader of our team this year,” said Head Coach Mike Magpayo. “He has done a wonderful job taking on the responsibilities of being the maestro, quarterback — so to speak — and his fearlessness has seeped into the rest of the team.”
The Highlanders were 21-11/14-6 in the just-completed 2024-25 regular season, tying the team’s 2022-23 record for most overall and conference wins since moving to Division 1 play 25 years ago. The team is headed into the Big West Men’s Basketball Championship on March 13 as the third seed, with a chance to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. UCR will play the winner of the March 12 UC Davis/Cal Poly game.
Barrington is a driving force on a could-be championship team. He averages 20.6 points per game, tied for eighth in NCAA Division I basketball. His per-game scoring average bests a slate of Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player nominees , including Johni Broome of Auburn, Cooper Flagg of Duke, and Dylan Harper of Rutgers.
His highlights reel this season includes a half-court shot on Nov. 22 to force overtime against Colorado State, helping the Highlanders secure a 77-75 win. The play was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 on Nov. 23, 2024.
On Jan. 11, Hargress set a UCR record for highest score in a single game, dropping 40 points in an 85-81 win over San Diego.
March 6, he broke a 26-year-old UCR men’s basketball record for highest scoring in a single season, set in 1988-89 by Maurice Pullum. During that game, against CSUN, he scored 32 points, shooting 10-for-20 from the field, and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. Through games of March 8, Hargress has registered 658 points.
On March 10, he was named Big West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after a week in which he averaged 27 ppg, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. On March 11, he was named to the All-Big West First Team. It was the third time this season he won Player of the Week accolades.
Barrington was named Big West Freshman of the Year in 2024 after averaging 12.6 points per game. This year, he reached a 1,000-point career milestone.
Originally from Inglewood, California, Hargress was a 2022 McDonald's All-American West nominee in high school and ranked No. 45 among point guards in ESPN’s Top 50 for the class of 2022.
