LITTLE ROCK – The UALR Department of Athletics will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame at halftime of Saturday’s men’s basketball game against New Orleans, adding former women’s basketball player B.J. (Higginbotham) Golden, former baseball player Darek Braunecker and former men’s basketball player Alan Barksdale.

A native of Bryant, Ark., Golden (1978-81) held the school’s single-game scoring record for over 30 years before it was broken by Chastity Reed this season, and remains ranked in the top-10 in nine of UALR’s all-time career statistical categories. 

Braunecker (1990-91) played two seasons at UALR under Gary Hogan, becoming the first player to be designated team captain by the Trojans’ former skipper, and still holds the school record for single-season and career saves. Following a playing career which included a stint in the Minor Leagues, Braunecker became a sports agent, whose clients today include 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and 2009 World Series champion A.J. Burnett.

Barksdale (1998-01) is arguably the best shooter to ever play basketball at UALR, twice ranking in the NCAA’s top-10 for made three-pointers per game. He still holds four school records, including the UALR standard for three pointers made in a season and career.

The UALR women will square off against New Orleans on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7 p.m. For tickets call 565-UALR (8257).

B.J. (Higginbotham) Golden

Golden came to UALR from Bryant High School in 1978 and averaged 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in three seasons at UALR (1978-81), graduating as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Presently, Golden remains ranked in the top-10 in nine of UALR’s career statistical categories and five of its single-season records.

She scored a career-high 38 points against Arkansas College on Dec. 11, 1979, which stood as the school record for over 30 years before Reed poured in 42 points at Louisiana-Monroe earlier this season (1/2/10).

Golden averaged a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game as a freshman during the 1978-79 season, and ranked second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. As a sophomore, she averaged a career-high 16.1 points per game and ranked second on the team with a 7.7 rebounding average. She had nine games with 20-or-more points during her sophomore season, including her 38-point performance against Arkansas College.

In her final season at UALR, Golden averaged 10.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, with a team-high 55 assists and a .569 field goal percentage.

She married UALR swimmer Larry Golden following her junior year and chose not to play basketball as a senior. She has since remarried to Anthony Hughes, and has one daughter, Leslie Golden, from her previous marriage. She is the Systems Administrator and IT Director for a chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee where she has worked for the past 28 years. In 2005, her daughter’s interest in the sport of volleyball brought her back home to UALR where she works closely with UALR head coach Van Compton’s Junior Olympic volleyball program, Little Rock Juniors. From 2006-08, she served as President of the club’s Board of Directors, and currently is serving as the club’s Administrator.

To this day, Golden is still ranked in the top-5 in four of UALR’s all-time career statistical categories, sitting third in rebounding average (7.4), fourth in field goal percentage (.484), third in free throw attempts (350) and fourth in free throws made (218). She held the school record for free throws attempted and made in a season until Reed broke both records this year.


Darek Braunecker

A native of Effingham, Ill., Braunecker was an All-State pitcher and team captain at Effingham High School before moving on to Vincennes (Ind.) University. He came to UALR prior to the 1990 season and saved a school-record 13 games as a junior to help lead the Trojans to a 33-20 mark and a school-record .623 winning percentage. 

He made 25 appearances his junior year, compiling a 2-3 record and a 3.20 earned run average with 22 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. Prior to his senior season, Braunecker became the first Trojan to be designated team captain under coach Hogan. The 1991 season saw Braunecker go 3-3 with 29 strikeouts over 30.1 innings of work. He added a team-leading eight saves to bring his career total to a school-record 21. He made 47 relief appearances during his UALR career, finishing with a 5-6 record, 21 saves, a 4.53 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched (8.2 strikeouts per nine).

He signed with the Montreal Expos organization as an undrafted free agent following his senior year, and went 4-4 for the New York-Penn League champion Jamestown Expos. Braunecker also played in the Cleveland Indians organization before returning to UALR as an assistant coach for two seasons under Hogan. 

In 1997, Braunecker joined Stephens Sports Management, Inc., where he worked until 2001. He left the company in 2001 to create Braunecker Sports Council, and has since founded a second company, Frontline Sports Management. His client list includes 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, 2009 World Series champion A.J. Burnett, Dustin Moseley, Jeff Francis, Andrew Miller and Jeff Samardzija.

Braunecker graduated from UALR in 1994 with a degree in psychology. He and his wife, Shelley, have two kids, Ellie and Rhett. 

Alan Barksdale

After starting his playing career at Colorado and LSU, Barksdale eventually found his way to UALR where in just three seasons (1998-01) he was able to join the school’s 1,000-point club and set school records for three pointers made in a season and career. A 6-4 guard, Barksdale was twice ranked in the top-10 nationally for made three pointers per game and is fifth all-time in Sun Belt Conference history with 255 career three pointers.

A native of Livingston, La., Barksdale was a two-time All-State selection at Central High School in Baton Rouge. Following a standout prep career, Barksdale played one semester at Colorado before transferring to LSU. After sitting out his one semester at LSU, Barksdale transferred to Meridian Junior College where he earned All-Region XXIII honors after averaging 18.6 points per game with a .613 three-point percentage.

He made an immediate impact in his first season at UALR, earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors after averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game with a school-record 95 made three pointers. He finished third in the nation with a 3.8 three pointers per game average and led the Sun Belt with a .408 three-point percentage.

As a junior, Barksdale averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 38.3 percent from three-point range (80-of-209). Once again Barksdale led the Sun Belt Conference in three-point field goals per game (3.33), which was good enough to tie him for eighth in the country. He had one of the best games of his career that season against Arkansas State (2/19/00), going 8-of-13 from three-point range on his way to a 28-point, eight-assist, six-rebound performance.

The 2000-01 season saw Barksdale shoot a career-best 44.9 percent from beyond the arc (80-of-178), which led the Sun Belt Conference and placed him 13th nationally. He also converted 42-of-47 foul shots on his way to a school-record .894 free-throw percentage, and averaged 12.3 points per game to help the Trojans to an 18-11 mark under first-year head coach Porter Moser.

Barksdale averaged 13.5 points per game over his three-year career to finish with 1,054 points, good enough for 14th place on UALR’s all-time scoring list. He holds the UALR record for three pointers in a season (95) and career (255), as well as the record for career three-point percentage (.411) and single-season free-throw percentage (.894). He sits third on UALR’s all-time list for career free-throw percentage with an .841 mark (111-of-132).

Barksdale graduated from UALR in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration specializing in finance, and has worked for Crews & Associates for the last six years. He and his wife, Brooke, have two kids, Jackson and Easton, with a third on the way.