‘Win one for TJ!’ And the Barlow Bruins did

Guard Jalen Atkins holds sign that says it all after Barlow coach Tom Johnson claimed the first state championship of his stellar career

Updated 3/18/2025 10:30 AM

The voice was hoarse, and for good reason. It had been a wild Saturday night and early Sunday morning for Tom Johnson.

That is what happens when you win a state championship — especially when it is your first in 42 years as a high school head basketball coach.

Johnson’s Barlow Bruins got the job done they set out to do at the start of the season, defeating Jesuit 61-55 to win the state 6A title before a packed house at Chiles Center.

Johnson did not get as much sleep as he expected when he returned to his Gresham home afterward.

“I thought I was going to bed, but my sons (Drew and Jared) came over with some friends and my coaches,” Johnson told me. “I ended up getting to bed around 2 a.m.”

No champagne was poured, but a few adult beverages were consumed.

“We did a lot of smiling and laughing,” Johnson said.

In the moments after the awards presentation and the ceremonial cutting of the net, a conga line of friends, fans and supporters got their hugs in with the coach.

“A hundred of them, at least,” Johnson said.

Among the well-wishers was Fred Jones, the best player Johnson has ever coached, star of the Barlow team that reached the state finals in 1996.

In the closing minutes of the game, when the title was in the bag, the huge throng of students and Barlow fans joined as one, chanting, “Win for TJ! Win for TJ!”

And the Bruins did.

“That has been a goal of ours since our freshman year,” senior guard Blake Hills said. “He deserves it. He’s a heck of a coach. He leads us in every way. I am so happy to get this for him.”

Johnson and senior Blake Hills embrace after the biggest victory in Barlow High history

Johnson has coached at Barlow for 39 seasons after beginning his career with three seasons at Lebanon. He has amassed 711 victories — second all-time among big-school coaches in the state. His teams have been to the state semifinals six times and reached the finals twice, the other time when the Jones-led team fell to South Salem in the championship game.

Barlow has never won a state title in what is considered by many the holy grail of prep sports — football, basketball and baseball.

“Back when we got to the finals and finished second, the baseball team had taken second in place in state, and I think another of our school’s teams had, too,” Johnson said. “We referred to ourselves as a ‘school of seconds.’ ”

No more. The Barlow community badly wanted a championship as a reward for a coach who had only one thing missing from his resume.

All the attention, though, was “a little bit embarrassing” to the man who has coached at Barlow for so long.

“I really appreciate it, but man, I don’t want to take any spotlight away from the kids,” Johnson said. “They are the ones who deserved this. I understand the longevity, and we had never won it before, but the kids got it done. My assistants and I, there were times when we felt like they carried us.”

The TJ chants “were nice,” Johnson said, “but I would rather they were chanting, ‘Let’s go Barlow!’ ”

Johnson says he has never had a threesome as talented as seniors Jalen Atkins, Mason Bierbrauer and Brayden Barron, who led the Bruins (27-3) through a season in which they were ranked No. 1 the entire way. There was pressure to get it accomplished, but they met every challenge.

“All three of those kids are clutch players,” Johnson said. “(Assistant coach) Todd Nagel said, ‘No moment is too big for these kids,’ and he is right. That’s a tribute to them.”

Johnson had wondered what the feeling of winning a state championship would be like. On Sunday morning, he was still soaking it all in.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “I am still a little bit numb about it. I don’t think it will change me at all. Maybe I will smile a little bit more for the next week or two.

“I am so thrilled for the kids. I know how hard they worked. All summer long, if they weren’t playing in an AAU tournament, they were all together in the gym. There were times when I would let Jalen in the gym in the morning and at night.”

Jesuit was a worthy opponent. Coach Gene Potter fielded what must have been one of the shortest starting lineups ever in a 6A title game — four 6-footers and 6-2 Trey Cleeland. Barlow, meanwhile, featured Atkins as a 6-3 point guard and Bierbrauer and Barron, both 6-6, as a considerable inside presence.

The Crusaders battled, though, and were outrebounded by only 30-28. Their downfall was offense. They shot only .383 from the field and were 5 or 26 from 3-point range.

“Win by the three, die by the three,” Potter said. “We didn’t shoot it as well as we needed to win the game. Barlow is certainly deserving. (The Bruins) played really well. They are physical, strong, execute their stuff well.”

Barlow was only marginally better offensively, shooting .408, including 6 for 21 from beyond the arc.

“We did not follow our game plan very well,” Johnson said. “We wanted to get the ball going side to side. We feel like we are always successful offensively when we get the ball moving. We took a couple of quick shots the first few possessions. We bogged down offensively. (The Crusaders) defend so well, are so physical.

“But our kids are gamers. They made plays. All year long in games, we have been able to make big plays. That’s the way it felt last night. In the fourth quarter, when we needed a basket, Brayden got to the hoop. When we were milking our lead, we were able to get the ball to Jalen and get him to the free throw line.”

The final score was a little misleading. Barlow led for all but a minute and 20 seconds of the game. The Bruins used an 8-0 run to close the third quarter to take a 42-32 lead into the final period. The lead was 12 with seven minutes to play, and the Bruins — who didn’t make a field goal over the game’s final 4:19 — survived some heady play by Jesuit’s southpaw duo of Patrick Milfoil (24 points, seven rebounds) and Joe Stimpson (13 points, six boards). No other Crusader player scored more than five in the game.

Barron had 15 of his 17 points after intermission and finished with nine rebounds. Atkins was 3 for 11 from the field and 0 for 3 on 3’s but was 10 for 13 at the foul line and also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Atkins has been Barlow’s big gun all season. He scored 44 points — 35 in the first half — in a second-round win over Clackamas and notched 21 in a semifinal rout of West Linn. Jesuit was determined not to let Atkins go off. He was double-teamed every time he put the ball to the floor.

“That is a good strategy,” Johnson said. “Jalen does so much for us. Taking the ball out of his hands as much as you can — it’s not surprising they did that.”

That opened things for the Bruins’ other two starters, Hills and sophomore guard Maddyn Cummings. Hills was 4 for 7 on 3-pointers and scored 12 points and Cummings added 10.

“I am thankful I get to play with great players who sometimes get a lot of attention,” Hills said. “I was able to knock down the shots we needed me to make to get the ‘Dub.’ ”

After the game, Atkins kept looking out, surveying the Barlow throng that was still bubbling in the stands.

“Just trying to take it all in,” he said. “To win it with this group of guys, for TJ, and with all the pressure — it means the world to me. I am so grateful.”

So was Johnson for such a strong show of support.

“I have always had the feeling that there is something special about our community,” he said. “When I first came to Barlow, our athletic director told me, ‘Barlow is not a pit stop; it’s a destination.’ People come to Barlow and don’t leave. For the first 15 years, it seemed like no teacher ever left or retired. With our teaching staff, there was such a level of loyalty and camaraderie. So many teachers would attend games every Tuesday and Friday night.

“As people started to retire, we lost a little bit of that, but all those retirees still came to games. I would say 90 percent of those people live in the Barlow district, and their kids went to Barlow.”

Potter and Johnson spent many minutes chatting before the game. There is much mutual respect.

“I am disappointed for my guys, but super excited for Tom,” Potter said. “What a fine human being. Not that he needed this to validate his great career, but I am really happy for him.”

Potter’s Jesuit teams have won seven state championships. This was Johnson’s turn.

“I would have been OK with eight, though," Potter said with a smile.

Barlow’s “Big Three” will move on to college ball next season — Barron at Portland State, Bierbraugh at Oregon Tech, Atkins at Eastern Arizona JC,

As for Johnson, 67, he is uncertain about his coaching future. He retired as a teacher after the 2023-24 academic year. He may retire from coaching after finally winning it all.

“I have not decided yet,” he said. “I will make that decision over the next month or so. A year ago at this time, I contemplated stepping down but decided after spring break to come back. I carried a lot more stress a year ago. When I decided to come back, the idea was that I was going to delegate a lot more. I did that this year. Todd basically took over defensive responsibilities. That has freed me up a lot to work with the offense. That has been good.

“I love the coaching fraternity. I have an outstanding staff here and great support, but I am not getting any younger. I do love the kids we have coming back next year. We will drop off talent-wise, but I like the work ethic of the underclassmen.”

If this was it, well, what a way to go out.

“I am really happy for him,” Barron said. “I just want him to get one before he retires, whenever that may be.”

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