Fifth-year forward Luke Barrett poured in a career-high 20 points in Saint Mary's 70-60 victory over visiting Pacific on Saturday. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists in his fourth career double-double, all of which have come this season.
 
Through Tuesday, Barrett ranked second in the nation in minutes played per game at just less than 38. You wouldn't typically associate that type of production with someone who entered college as a walk-on and began this season with one career start.
 
But for Barrett's teammates, his success in 2024-25 is no surprise.
 
"You can draw a lot of confidence from the work you put in," said fifth-year senior center Mitchell Saxen, who happens to be Barrett's roommate, "and he's put in all the requisite work and he continues to put in the work to be great every day."
 
Sophomore guard Jordan Ross said Barrett "is in here early. He stays late. He just keeps working and working. Even if things don't go his way at the beginning, he's still working and working. We knew (Barrett's success) was going to happen and it's happening."
 
Barrett attributes much of his exemplary work ethic to a team meeting after the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season. He recalled head coach Randy Bennett putting the names of four players on a board, circling those names and saying those four were the only ones working hard enough.
 
Barrett's name was not one of the four Bennett circled.
 
"That was a huge moment for me," Barrett said. "I just realized from that day forward that if I'm not working the hardest on this team, then I'm always going to regret it and I'm cheating myself of this opportunity."
 
Had it not been for the pandemic, Barrett likely would not have had his opportunity in Moraga. The Piedmont High alum committed to go to Division III Pomona-Pitzer, but when the pandemic forced the shutdown of the 2020-21 D-III season, Barrett opted to go to Saint Mary's as a walk-on.
 
His initial plan was to spend the season with the Gaels, then head to Pomona-Pitzer for the 2021-22 school year. That plan soon changed.
 
"Once I got here, I'd say within the first week, I knew I was never going to go back. I was going to stay here," Barrett said. "I could see that if I trusted the program and the process and worked hard … that I'd be able to get to a point like this."
 
A point like this includes ranking third on the team in points per game this season at 11.1 and third in rebounds per game at 7.4.
 
Barrett's career arc resembles that of point guard Tommy Kuhse, who joined the Gaels as a walk-on in 2016. Kuhse played a grand total of 56 minutes in his first two seasons in the SMC program. He wound up spending six seasons in Moraga, scoring 1,138 points. Kuhse ranks second in school history in games played (149) and fifth in assists (477).
 
Kuhse and Barrett spent two seasons as teammates.
 
Barrett said the SMC coaches told him, " 'Just look at Kuhse. He was in the same spot you were in.' He led by example on that. Just being a teammate of his and seeing how he operated was all the motivation I needed and all the guidance I needed."
 
Saxen said Kuhse and Barrett "were both good players before they got scholarships and got a chance to shine on the court, but they just kept working.
"There's a saying: Pound the rock. On the 101st time you pound the rock, it breaks and everything happens for you. I think that's what happened for both of them."
 
Barrett received a scholarship before the 2022-23 season. Saxen called Barrett "a great all-around athlete," extolling his virtues in tennis, ping-pong and golf. Saxen said he and some teammates call Barrett "Country Club" because of his prowess in those sports – and Saxen believes Barrett benefits on the basketball court from his multi-sport background.
 
"I think it shows on his offensive rebounding," Saxen said.
He's really good at tracking the ball. That's an intrinsic skill that he is just better at (than most players) -- and he gives a hell of an effort there, too."
 
Ross noted how different Barrett is when he's playing and when he isn't.
 
"As hard as he plays, he's not like that off the court," Ross said. "Off the court, he's a real calm, cool, chill dude. It's like he has a switch that he can flip on. So as soon as he gets in between those lines, he flips it."
 
Barrett realizes opposing players and fans might misinterpret his in-game demeanor.
 
"When I get on the court, I look very mean and (that) I'm not having a good time out there," Barrett said. "I've grown just to expect that other teams or people that watch me, they're probably going to think I'm not a good guy.
"I think that's kind of how I have to operate."
Saint Mary's (11-3, 1-0 WCC) hosts Pepperdine (6-9, 0-2) on Thursday night. The Gaels are looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season.
 
"With the guys we have, we think we can have a very special team, Barrett said, "but we're not where we want to be yet in terms of what we're putting out there on a nightly basis. …
"If we can hit our peak, if we can get as good as this team possibly could (be), then we'll have no regrets. That's my main focus right now."  
 
Steady Climb
 
Saint Mary's forward Luke Barrett has gone from little-used walk-on to key starter. Here's a look at his progress in four seasons:

Season                   MPG             PPG         RPG
 
2021-22                  3.9                1.1             0.9
2022-23                  9.6               2.4             2.0
2023-24                 17.2               5.5             3.5
2024-25                 37.7              11.1             7.4
 
NOTE: Barrett played one minute in 2020-21 before suffering a season-ending foot injury.