Father Judge’s Everett Barnes emerges as a force in the middle for the Catholic League champs

Has anyone ever seen Superman return to a phone booth and turn back into Clark Kent?

Your best chance may have occurred Sunday evening, as Father Judge senior Everett Barnes returned to his mild-mannered self after ferociously protecting the rim during the Crusaders’ 41-34 dethroning of two-time defending Catholic League champion Roman Catholic at the Palestra.

As the Judge student section celebrated, coaches cried, and his teammates cut down the net, Barnes, a 6-foot-9 Loyola (Md.) recruit, stood calmly, smiled occasionally, and soaked in the atmosphere.

A stark juxtaposition materialized as the dominant big man who aggressively swatted five shots — including three in the pivotal first quarter — gave way to the calm, gentle giant who hovered above a sea of Columbia blue while awaiting his turn to cut the net.

That is until Judge coach Chris Roantree noticed, then nudged his center toward the front.

“He’s such a quiet kid,” Roantree said. “Well, he has his moments, but he’s quiet, funny, and he’s just a great kid.”

The win was Judge’s first PCL crown since 1998, when Roantree and assistant coach Jimmy Reeves played for their coach, the late Bill Fox. The Crusaders also won titles in 1975 and 1977 under Fox.

Barnes punctuated Judge’s semifinal rout of St. Joseph’s Prep with a ruthless, two-handed dunk over a defender followed by an uncharacteristically animated celebration that sent fans into hysterics.

Couple that sequence with Barnes’ tenacious defense in the final and you’ll see what his coaches have been raving about: the metamorphosis Barnes has undergone since he arrived from Burlington City High as an overweight, out-of-shape junior.

“[Barnes] has come such a long way,” said Reeves, the MVP of the ‘98 title team. “When we got him, he was such a nice kid, and he just didn’t want to be aggressive. And now he’s a man. And I’ll tell you what, Loyola is lucky to get him because he is a steal.”

The Cahillites did the early pilfering in the first quarter, seizing momentum with a 10-0 edge that could have been worse had Barnes not rejected three shots.

“If he doesn’t have those blocks,” Reeves added, “it might have been 20-0. He almost saved it for us.”

» READ MORE: Father Judge looks to leave behind a legacy — knocking off Roman Catholic ‘was step one’

Perhaps that was Barnes returning the favor to his coaching staff, which helped resuscitate his basketball career.

“I’ve come real far,” Barnes said. “I was out of shape. I wasn’t really active. I was lazier, and really lacking confidence, too. That’s one thing I really lacked. And that’s been growing, especially since I got here.”

The surge in confidence, he said, was the result of hard work in the offseason, before school, and after practices. He has lost at least 50 pounds since his junior season.

In last year’s semifinal loss to Roman, Shareef Jackson, the son of Roman and Temple legend, Marc Jackson, scored 20 points in Roman’s 65-57 victory. Barnes labored when running the floor, and realized he needed to get in better shape.

Jackson, who has committed to Lafayette, had just two points Sunday. He did add 11 rebounds and three assists.

“Last year was not fun for me,” Barnes said. “But I’ve been working. I just wanted to really show everybody, especially here at the championship, how much work I’ve been putting in.”

Barnes credited 2017 Judge-grad Marc Rodriguez, the school’s first 1,000-point scorer, with improving his strength and conditioning, a role Rodriguez fulfills as a trainer for his alma mater and others in the city. Barnes added that his AAU program, Philly Pride, has also been integral to his transformation.

Slimming his body was one thing, but Barnes also needed to better maneuver his size-17 sneakers.

“He had a big body, but his feet were kind of slow,” Reeves said. “We transformed him after a lot of work between all the coaches, not just myself. But we only could do so much. He put the work in himself.”

Barnes also changed his eating habits. He replaced his sugary, morning cereals with oatmeal. Soda gave way to water. He also began cooking his own meals, choosing chicken and steak instead of fast food.

He scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a December game in California. He had 23 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in the PCL opener against West Catholic this season.

» READ MORE: Father Judge seals a win over Roman Catholic to earn its first Catholic League title since 1998

As the PIAA playoffs begin in March, Class 6A opponents would be wise not to mistake Barnes’ demeanor for disinterest.

“I think it’s more so seeing how things are going, analyzing, and just watching,” Barnes said. “I’m more laid back and passive rather than outgoing. I’ll be there, but sometimes I’m just not in the front.”