In March 2020, Ryan Barnes considered himself a high school basketball player, a 5-foot-10 point guard who wanted to play like NBA star Chris Paul. He wore his hair like former Shockers star Ron Baker and made himself valuable on a team loaded with talent.  

Within a few months, Ryan considered himself a collegiate bowler, even though he barely qualified as a recreational bowler. Four years later, he appears on a path to be the next PBA Tour great and, along with his parents, heirs to a family bowling legacy the tour last experienced with Dick and Pete Weber. 

“(Ryan) has all the makings of a superstar,” PBA Tour Commissioner Tom Clark said. “He’s clearly obsessed with being the best he can be. That something that’s rare in athletes. He’s got it.” 

Ryan graduated cum laude from Wichita State University in May with a major in sport management and a minor in psychology and Esports. He is home in Dallas this summer preparing for the PBA Tour Trials on Aug. 19-23 in Mount Prospect, Ill. Ninety bowlers compete for 12 exempt spots on the tour.  

“That’s the biggest step,” he said. “I’m going to treat it like it any other tournament. Go through my process. It’s a big tournament, but it doesn’t change how I prepare.” 

Ryan, 22, is the son of two top professional bowlers - Chris Barnes (also one of Wichita State’s best) and Lynda (Norry) Barnes. He grew up in an ambitious environment, moving from baseball to basketball at Denton (Texas) Guyer High School, with role models showing him how to work, strategize and develop mental strength. 

“I love competing,” Ryan said. “That’s my thing. I love the intensity and the feeling of winning.” 

When he chose bowling, he chose Wichita State and Wichita, places that offer coaching and competition to nurture bowlers in a way perhaps no other city can match. His parents knew coaches Mark Lewis and Rick Steelsmith would guide him.  

While colleges offered basketball walk-on opportunities or playing time at small schools, he wanted to compete at the highest level. Bowling gave him that chance. 

“That environment in Wichita is one of the best environments in the world,” Chris said. “There are so many accomplished bowlers in that area. As far as coaching, I can’t think of better place to go. He dove into the deep end of the pool.” 

The city is home to professionals such as Packy Hanrahan and a multitude of competitive bowlers and leagues for Barnes to immerse himself in. 

“The bowling community is the best bowling community, period,” Ryan said. “That’s where the best bowlers come. You can’t really beat that.” 

Ryan enjoyed a head start on bowling greatness, but so do others. He had to make the most of those advantages.  

“It’s not a given,” said Chad Murphy, executive director of the U.S. Bowling Congress and a Hutchinson native. “He chose to listen and pay attention and learn.”  

Clark compares the Barnes bowling lineage to a more high-profile family.  

“It’s not overstepping to say that Chris Barnes, for a generation, is really like LeBron James for bowling,” Clark said. “He did everything you could do in bowling. Ryan is better at bowling than Bronny James is at basketball. The Barnes family is pretty much ahead of the James family.” 

His parents played a major role in guiding him through baseball, basketball and into bowling with skills and habits that translate from sport to sport. When he focused on bowling at WSU, moving from a one-handed style to two-handed, his athletic skills and his mental focus helped him progress quickly.  

“He would work at it until he figures it out,” said Lynda,who bowled at San Jose State University. “Ryan was good at everything. He studies and researches and watches video. When he played baseball, all of a sudden, he would have this wicked curveball or changeup. He studied it all.”  

Like his parents, he keeps detailed notes on lane conditions and bowling centers to help him prepare for tournaments.   

“He is self-driven,” Chris said. “I never had to say, ‘You have to go practice.’” 

In addition to his successful college career, Ryan broke into the national spotlight in January by finishing third in the PBA Players Championship and earning $30,000 in prize money at Wichita’s Bowlero Northrock.  

The journey over four years from casual bowler to one of the sport’s best young bowlers amazes his Wichita State coaches. 

“He went from ‘Ok, I’m going to get serious about it’ to making Junior Team USA in two years,” Steelsmith said. “That’s an incredible amount of improvement and accomplishment in that short amount of time.”  

The role models and time at Wichita State helped prepare him for the fast track. 

“The best part of that was getting to know all the guys, work with the best coaches and being part of the best bowling community in the world,” Ryan said. 

The next step for the 5-foot-10 Texan is to add to the family and Shocker resume with his professional career. If the past four years are a guide, he should move fast.