The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/503388
MAY 2015 ■ 43 joined by junior center BeeJay Anya, who was the ACC Sixth Man of the Year. Sophomore wings Caleb Martin and Cody Martin also will join Henderson in trying to replace Turner, Lacey and Lee on the perimeter. Lacey did back up Barber at point guard, and that is a void that could get filled in recruiting this late spring. The 6-2, 185-pound Barber is the straw that stirs the drink for NC State. The for- mer McDonald's All-American had a tough time adjusting to ACC-level college bas- ketball, but a culmination of events helped alter his college career in late January and resulted in a magical 34-point performance in the ACC Tournament in an 81-70 win over Pittsburgh March 11. Barber elec- trified the crowd at the Greensboro Coli- seum, scoring the most points by an NCSU player at the ACC Tournament since David Thompson had 38 vs. Virginia in the 1975 quarterfinals. Gottfried said Barber's speed and abil- ity to penetrate to the basket set him apart. He knew the Barber at the end of the year wasn't the same as the one in January. "He's as quick as anybody that I've had," Gottfried said. "I coached Mo Williams at Alabama, Tyus Edney at UCLA. Those guys had a different gear. But Cat's got that gear that sometimes you think he's going really fast, and then he's got a whole 'nother speed left in there." Barber's season and his life changed dramatically the week of Jan. 11-17. He became a father Thursday of that week, had close friend Jamar Thomas get murdered Friday night, and sat out the Florida State game Saturday. Barber returned to action but combined for 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting over the next three games before he broke out at Georgia Tech with 23 points, going 4 of 5 from three-point land Jan. 31. Barber scored in double figures in all but three games following his effort against the Yellow Jackets — all three games in which he scored in single figures were losses for the Pack — and he had at least 21 in four of them. Barber credited assistant coach Rob Moxley for pushing him hard the last six weeks, and it resulted in him shooting 22 of 51 from three-point range (43.1 percent) over his last 14 games. "This year I thought that Cat wanted to be the perfect point guard all the time and kind of a cerebral guy," Gottfried said. "There came a point where I felt with him Point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber, who will be a junior next fall, posted a 34-point perfor- mance in an 81-70 win over Pittsburgh March 11 at the ACC Tournament. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN