Renomination year: 2025

Nominated by: Tracy Strong

Renominated by: Daniel Strong

Nomination category: Athletes & Coaches

Sport: Basketball

Years participating: 1996-2000

Career summary:

Matt Barlow was an outstanding athlete that could have excelled in multiple sports, but chose to concentrate on basketball and went on to have an impressive career for Celina High School on the hardwood from 1996 to 2000.

Barlow scored 1,298 points in his career, was named to the Tri-Lakes Conference All-Freshman team, was 2nd Team All-Tri-Lakes Conference his sophomore year, and 1st Team All-Tri-Lakes Conference both his junior and senior years. He also received multiple All-District-Tournament selections and an All-Region-Tournament selection.

During that time, teams he played on claimed a District Championship and a Region Runner-up, advanced to a pair of Class A Mideast Sectional Tournaments, and helped reestablish Celina High School as a perennial power in Class A basketball with back-to-back 26-win seasons.

As a sophomore, Barlow averaged 13.9 points per game and then had a 17.9-point average his junior season before suffering a significant ankle injury in January of that year. His senior year was marked with a very impressive 12.1 points, 7.9 assists, and 3 steals per game.

Nominator comment:

“Matt’s athleticism allowed him to be a consistent scorer throughout his career, as evidenced by his career total of nearly 1,300 points, and he was also routinely given the responsibility of defending the opponent’s best perimeter player, a responsibility he welcomed and at which he excelled.

“From the position of point guard, Matt was a floor general for well-balanced offensive teams. Besides that, he was a very competitive player that always exhibited good sportsmanship and represented his team and school with class.

“All of those attributes show Matt is more than worthy of hall of fame induction.”