Bills land Toledo transfer Jake Barnett

Saint Louis University received a commitment from 6'5" guard Jake Barnett, who was the leading scorer at Toledo last season. Barnett will have three seasons of eligibility left after sitting out the 2011 season via NCAA Division I transfer rules.

 Barnett decided to leave Toledo after the resignation of head coach Gene Cross at the end of the season. The 200-pound guard led Toledo in scoring as a freshman, averaging 12.9 points a game. He was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team. Barnett also averaged 4.4 rebounds a game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point territory, hitting 71 of his 192 3-point attempts. Barnett also shot 80 percent from the free throw line.

 A native of Wauwatosa, Wisc., Barnett led East High School to the Wisconsin Division I state championship as a senior in 2008. He elected to spend the 2009 season at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. It is the same school that also produced 2011 SLU signee Jordair Jett.

 The addition of Barnett provides SLU coach Rick Majerus with another valuable piece to the puzzle of his emerging program. Barnett is a big wing player with the ability to make perimeter shots. Not only was he Toledo's leading scorer last season, but he was considered a "glue" player because of his ability to do several things on the court to help the team.

 Barnett is the fifth player to be signed by the Billikens in 2010. He joins 6'1" guard Mike McCall and 6'5" forward Dwayne Evans of Chicago, 6'11" power forward Rob Loe from New Zealand and the 6'1" Jett from Minneapolis.

 My friend and colleague Nate Latsch interviewed Jake Barnett about his commitment to the Billikens. To check out what our newest Billiken has to say, you can check out Nate's story at Billikenreport.com