MIAMI SHORES, Fla. --
Adrian Gonzalez and
Arie Williams came to Barry four years ago to make their marks.
"The one thing I came here for was just to be a part of a winning program, and establish something here at Barry," said Williams, who ranks 29th in the country in three-point field goals.
Check that off the list.
In their four years donning Barry red and black, Williams and Gonzalez represent the school's all-time winningest class. They have played on teams that have went a combined 89-27 with three trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Now they have a chance to be a part of something no other Buccaneers team has ever done -- win an outright Sunshine State Conference regular season title.
No. 25 Barry (19-5, 12-5 SSC) hosts Florida Southern (11-15, 8-8) in the final regular season home game 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with league title implications on the line. The Bucs, who shared the SSC regular season title last year, secured a home date to host the SSC quarterfinals next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Health & Sports Center. A win over the Mocs, who come in having lost their past two games, would assure Barry the top seed in the conference tournament.
"One of the things, from my perspective, that I'm always seeking is consistency,"Â Bucs four-year coach
Butch Estes said. "That's where Adrian and Arie are so important. They were waiting in the wings to take the reign."
Wednesday's game will signal the end of an era for Gonzalez and Williams, who along with
Josh Irving will be honored on Senior Night. At the same time, March Madness is just around the corner, and that's where Barry has made its mark during the four-year duo's time in Miami Shores.
"When I first got the job, we didn't have any kind of organized plan of attack in recruiting, but we knew we had to have some freshmen to build this program into a winner," Estes said. "We were really, really fortunate to get two young men with the ability and character that these two guys possess. They're the cornerstone."
Gonzalez will move into a tie for second place on the school's all-time games played list (114) when he suits up against the Mocs. Former Bucs point guard and assistant coach Ryan Saunders is the all-time leader at 120 games. Williams will have played in 109 games when he puts on the Bucs jersey again Wednesday. That will push him to No. 7 on the list.Â
"I've had some great memories here," said Gonzalez, who ranks 20th nationally in total field goals. "It's been a great four years."
TIP-INS: The first 200 fans to Wednesday night's game will receive a free Barry basketball t-shirt, compliments of Sports Medicine Associates of South Florida.Â
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