Waldron senior Laiken Barnes signs with Olivet basketball

WALDRON — As the class of 2023 nears the end of their high school careers, several student-athletes have made the commitment to continue pursuing their athletic goals and dreams at the next level. The first area basketball player to sign their letter of intent this year was Laiken Barnes of Waldron High School. The senior boys basketball start signed to continue his hoops career and pursue academic studies at Olivet College.

The senior was joined by family members and head coach Mark Long to celebrate his signing day. Barnes is the first athlete to continue playing sports at the collegiate level in his family. The senior Spartan has many goals and aspirations for not just his athletic career, but also his academic career. Barnes has been playing basketball since his junior pro days. College sports has been a goal of his since the beginning, and he views his signing as the next step to push him towards the next level of his goals.

"I've always seen college sports as one of the top things I wanted to do in my life," said Barnes. "One of the biggest things is that I've been playing basketball since junior pro and I've always had my parents and high school coaches who pushed me to get farther and farther throughout anything. The only way from here is up and that's my goal right now."

Angelica Havasy, Laiken Barnes' mom, was not surprised by his athletic pursuits when he neared his senior career. Angelica says that Barnes has always had a desire to play at the highest of levels in hoops ever since he was able to pick up a basketball.

"Ever since he picked up a basketball, he's talked about playing college basketball and playing in the NBA," said Angelica Havasy.

Laiken Barnes focused in on Olivet College after a visit and scholarship opportunities. The senior is a standout academic student, and he was accepted into multiple colleges and universities including Toledo University. He also had a few out-of-state college athletic offers, including from schools in Texas and Georgia. He checked out both Ferris State and Lake Superior State as well.

Olivet Head coach Sam Hargraves sent an invitation to Barnes for a campus game visit, and he made a connection with the coach that helped influence his final decision. Barnes and his mom, Angelica Havasy, visited Olivet with the intention on visiting more schools after, but plans changed after that visit.

"He had a few other colleges contact him," said Angelica Havasy. "So, we thought we would check out Olivet. But as soon as he walked in, he thought it felt like home. He said that this was the team he wanted to play for, and once he is determined to do something, he does it."

Barnes said that the atmosphere and environment were the biggest selling points for Olivet. The other selling point was the college's criminal justice program.

"I've always wanted to become a police officer and go even higher up," said Barnes.

Barnes has spent much of his high school career preparing for this future career path. He hopes to eventually reach the level of the state police, or even the FBI. Barnes' cousin is in law enforcement and helped inspire Barnes to enroll in the criminal justice program at the Hillsdale Area Career Center. Barnes has dual-enrolled at Jackson College in the past year and has taken 12 credits of criminal justice courses. On top of his academics, he also interned at City of Hillsdale Police Department through the Career Center.

The senior will attend Olivet this coming fall. Barnes and his family expect most of his tuition to be paid for through scholarship opportunities that Waldron High School helped Laiken pursue. Joseph Havasy, Laiken's dad, credited Waldron Dean of Students Jenn Fether, Athletic Director Mike Granger and the rest of the Spartan staff for helping make this possible for Laiken and for putting his future ahead of everything else. Joseph Havasy believes that Laiken's commitment and drive will help turn those opportunities he has earned into future athletic and career success.

"All of the staff at Waldron have been outstanding with helping the student there," said Joseph Havasy. "Laiken is just starting to tap his potential. If he wants to be in the FBI, he will be running the FBI someday."

His family is excited for the opportunity to watch Barnes play another four years of his favorite sport. Before that happens, Barnes will conclude his athletic career at Waldron High School this spring. Barnes is a multi-sport student athlete for the Spartans, although his football, baseball and track career came later.

"I only started doing baseball, football and track last year," said Barnes. "I just sat down and thought that I wouldn't have a chance to do this again in my life so I decided to try it out. Football and track definitely helped me become a stronger athlete and that transferred onto the basketball court."

The years of training and extra athletic activities paid off in his final two years of his high school career. Angelica Havasy says that all the hard work paid off for Laiken on and off the court.

"He's become such a great basketball player and he's done a lot of it on his own and with his dad."

Last year, Barnes was an honorable mention dream team member. During his senior year, he received honorable mention all-conference honors and was an athlete of the week honoree. He led his team in rebounds and blocked shots this season, and he was second in team scoring totals. He will be a member of the 2022-23 all-area dream team.

Barnes went through several coaches throughout his high school career, but one of his constant motivators and coaches in his life was his dad, Joseph Havasy. Barnes thanked his dad for pushing him to be better in everything he did and to pursue his goals until they were accomplished.

"He's been there throughout my entire career teaching me nonstop and pushing me through everything."

His senior year was filled with some of the best memories he has had since starting his prep hoops career. Barnes says that he has had a lot of favorite memories while playing Waldron basketball, but one that he remembers fondly happened in practice this past season.

"There was a lot of favorite memories at Waldron," said Barnes. "My favorite memory involved one of our hoops practices. One of those times was a night we were shooting well, and that was one of the first times in my life that there were big smiles on everyone's faces, including our head coach Mark Long. The way he expressed how proud he was of us that day was really nice."

Barnes thanked Mark Long for the extra work he put in with Laiken to help him become a mentally and physically stronger hoops player.

"I want to thank coach Long for helping me become a mentally tougher and physically stronger player. He taught me a lot about the game and how to play tough basketball."

Barnes thanked both of his parents for their support in his decisions and for helping him make his dreams a reality. Both of his parents said that they were all proud and happy with his college choice.

In addition to his academic and athletic pursuits, Barnes volunteers every chance he can get at the school and elsewhere. His hard work paid off his senior year when he fully paid for his Spring Break trip to Hawaii. Barnes is an active participant in coaching and refereeing junior pro events and teams. He also enjoys several hobbies, including gaming, podcasting and playing his guitar.

Olivet College is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan. The Comets are a part of the NCAA Division III level of collegiate athletics and are one of the founding members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the oldest collegiate conference.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Waldron senior Laiken Barnes signs with Olivet College Men's Basketball