The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/406183
NOVEMBER 2014 ■ 41 WOLFPACK BASKETBALL PREVIEW Last season, Barber averaged 24.2 minutes, 8.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, while starting 18 of NC State's 36 contests. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "I came in and was being a good role player. Coach knew I could be a great player, I just needed to fix a few things. I did that this summer, and it's going to be better this year." ■ Cat Barber BY RYAN TICE S ophomore Anthony "Cat" Bar- ber has always been the starting point guard of his basketball team and worn No. 12. Despite Barber starting half of NC State's games last year, Tyler Lewis was the one who played in crunch time, and he already had Barber's regular number when the youngster arrived on campus. This season — after the transfer of Lewis to Butler — his usual jersey number and starting gig are all Barber's once again. "When I'm the No. 1 point guard, I'm very comfortable," he said. "That's the spot I've always been in. I think it's going to build my confidence back up to where it was a long time ago." There is no question that the Wolfpack is Barber's team now. He is the only scholar- ship point guard on the roster and is hoping to make a freshman to sophomore year jump like he saw former teammate T.J. Warren make last year. Warren started 14 contests and averaged 27.0 minutes and 12.1 points per game in 2013-14 as the team's sixth man. He then started every game he played in and boosted his numbers to 35.4 minutes and 24.9 points per game last year en route to ACC Player of the Year honors and a spot in the NBA Draft lottery. As a freshman, Barber averaged 24.2 min- utes, 8.5 points and 3.5 assists per contest, and he picked Warren's brain about making the big jump from year one to two. "T.J. told me to just work a lot during the offseason," Barber said. "I worked a lot on my jumper, and I got better. Personally, I just wanted to work on that the most and be more of a leader on the court. If I get those two things down, we'll be good. "They always say your second year is your best. The first year, you have to adjust to everything — school, basketball, being here. I've been here for a year now, and I think it will come easier." Barber won't have as much competition for the starting spot this year. However, he contends that having the job to himself has driven him all offseason and will continue to push him because he knows the Pack can only go as far as he leads them. His goal is to direct the Pack past the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. "Being the only point guard on the roster just makes me want to go harder," he ex- plained. "Trevor [Lacey] can play the point as well, but being that I'm the only one on the roster right now, my confidence has to be high. "I can't let anything bring me down be- cause I'm going to have to play, even if I'm not on. I'll do my best to get my teammates involved and keep the game flowing if that happens so we can win." Barber came to NC State as a Mc- Donald's All-American, but he still had to make several adjustments from high school. In addition to battling for playing time, he ex- perienced the ups and downs common for freshmen in the ACC. He started hot and averaged 28.9 minutes, 12.3 points and 4.5 assists in the first 15 games. Then he hit the rookie wall when competition picked up. His averages dipped to 20.9 minutes, 5.8 points and 2.8 assists per contest the rest of the way, although he did experience a bit of a resurgence in the ACC Tournament. He torched Duke for 12 points in the semifinals and notched at least six assists in the first two games of the tourney. "I came in and was being a good role player," he said. "Coach knew I could be a great player, I just needed to fix a few things. I did that this summer, and it's going to be better this year. "I think I'm 10 times better. I'm not com- plete yet, but I'm better than what I was last year. I'll keep trying to grow as the year goes on." Barber's biggest strength is his quickness. However, he had to learn how to make his mind move as fast as his legs could in order to use it to his advantage on the college level last year. The evolution continued this offseason. "I think that he has tried to really learn and understand how to be a point guard," head coach Mark Gottfried explained. "He was one of those players in high school — be- cause he was so gifted with his athleticism, speed and quickness — that it was 140 miles per hour every time up and down the floor. "He got to this level and sometimes that wasn't as effective as it was in high school. Now he has to really learn how to be a true lead guard, so he has taken a lot more interest in really listening and trying to understand how to get certain players involved at certain places. "It's time for him to take that next big step, as far as just playing as a point guard." The 6-2, 180-pounder focused mostly on his jump shot this offseason, but team- mates and coaches have seen him emerge as a leader on and off the floor. They have seen his intangibles begin to match the immense physical gifts he possesses. "He's as fast as lightning, and you have to keep up with his pace," senior guard Des- mond Lee noted. "There's nobody in the country as fast as Cat. "He's been more vocal and active in prac- tice. He's emerging as one of the leaders of the team." The Hampton, Va., native has always dreamed of being a lead point guard in the ACC, and now that he has that chance, he's not about to let the opportunity pass him by. Barber welcomes the pressure of being the guy that everybody expects to lead the Pack in 2014. With his customary job and number back, he is more comfortable than ever, de- spite new demands. "The dream has come true and now I feel like it's time to step my game up to another level," he said. "Being the point guard on a great team in a great program, I'm going to take advantage of that and do everything I can to help my team." ■