The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/644580
86 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER H ere's the thing about NC State junior point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber's can- didacy for Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year: it probably won't happen. That doesn't mean that Barber, who has performed at the highest level of almost any league player this season, doesn't belong in the same conversation as the six previous Wolfpack players who have won the award: Ronnie Shavlik (1956), Lou Pucillo (1959), David Thompson (1973-75), Rodney Monroe (1991), Julius Hodge (2004) and T.J. Warren (2014). His numbers are impressive, despite the less-than-optimal record the undermanned Wolfpack has compiled this season. He's taken on extra responsibilities to score follow- ing the unexpected departure of Trevor Lacey following last season and the injury to Terry Henderson seven minutes into this season. He's carried the load for a team that has some developing complementary players but no other proven stars. By himself, Barber has a third of the ACC's 18 30-point scoring games through Feb. 22. He had one stretch where he scored 30 or more in three out of four games, including a career-high 38 against Wake Forest Feb. 13. He's done all of it while barely taking time for a breather, averaging more than 36 min- utes per game. But voters for league awards are pretty stubborn. They usually vote the player they perceive to be the best on the best team. Only twice in the 62-year history of the league has a player from a team with a los- ing ACC record won the award: Len Bias of Maryland in 1986 and Erick Green of Virginia Tech in 2013. (Both NC State's T.J. Warren in 2014 and Wake Forest's Charlie Davis in 1971 played on teams that finished with an even record in league play.) Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried, who votes for the coach's version of the award, understands the thought process that most voters go through when casting their ballots. "Usually, if there is a great player who is helping one of the top two or three teams in the league that makes it easy," Gottfried said. "When there isn't that player — as we saw a few years ago with Erick Green and maybe even with T.J. — it works both ways, and a player who is putting up big numbers for a team that isn't as successful has a chance." Barber's chances likely died in February, when he was held to 4-of-11 shooting and 14 points against No. 7 Virginia and 1-of- 12 shooting against unranked Clemson. His eight points against the Tigers was just the second time all season he didn't hit double figures. Something happened in that game, though, that made both Barber and Gottfried happy. The Wolfpack got big performances out of freshman wing Maverick Rowan and sopho- more forward Abdul-Malik Abu, and beat the NCAA-hopeful Tigers 77-74. Rowan scored 20 points, while Abu had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Sophomore wing Caleb Martin added 16. Perhaps it was a peak into the future and how Gottfried's team will spread the scor- ing and other offensive responsibilities next year. It was a sign that the team, like Barber has done throughout this season, is grow- ing up. "The thing I've been most impressed with Cat is just how much he's grown up as a person since he's gotten here," Gottfried said. "He's a lot more responsible, a lot more ma- ture. He practices better; he carries himself much better. "That has helped create confidence in him. He's more confident in who he is as a per- son, and I think that translates right onto the court." Even Barber admits it. He knows exactly how he would have reacted to a 1-of-12 shooting performance as a frenetically fast freshman, just after he arrived from Newport News, Va.: "I would have moped." On a team full of mostly freshmen and sophomores, however, there's no place for more immaturity. "When he was a freshman and he didn't play or he didn't play enough, he pouted some," Gottfried said. "It wasn't because he was a big pouter or anything; he just wasn't used to it. He didn't know how to handle it. "I think now, even if he has a tough game, he bounces back with a smile on his face and is ready to go. He handles adversity better. That's all part of maturing." Junior center BeeJay Anya remembers the old Cat as well, the one who might have sulked off after a game that didn't go his way. "We both came in pretty immature," Anya admitted. "Over the years, Cat has really developed his game and his mindset. He's become more of a leader on the court. He just needed time to grow, like most players do. He came from a school where he was the man. He didn't have to be a leader. "It took him a little while to get adjusted." Now that he has, it can only make his teammates better. They picked him up and carried him against Clemson, and they were happy to do so. "Even the best players in the world will come out and have a not-so-great game now and then," Rowan said after the win over the Tigers. "That's when we have to play with a lot of energy. Sometimes, we have to take the weight off his shoulders." Maybe that doesn't seem like much to hang your hat on for a program that has made four consecutive NCAA appearances and two trips to the Sweet 16 in Gottfried's four sea- sons in charge. Every program, however, has times of transition, and this season has clearly been that for the Wolfpack. Barber has provided an outstanding bridge from last year's success to next year's high hopes, and he's added excitement to a team without many scorers. "He's just had a phenomenal year," Gott- fried said. "Unfortunately for him, our record is probably going to keep him from being at the top of the player-of-the-year list. "If we had won more games, it is probably clear-cut, not even a discussion." ■ ■ PACK PERSPECTIVE Despite Pack's Record, Junior Anthony "Cat" Barber Has Excelled Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker. You may contact him at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. The Wolfpacker is a publication of: Coman Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Offices are located at 324 Blackwell St., Ste. 1020, Durham, N.C. 27701. (919) 688-0218. The Wolfpacker (ISSN 0273-8945) is published bimonthly. A subscription is $39.95 for six issues. For advertising or subscription information, call (800) 421-7751 or write The Wolfpacker. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Wolfpacker, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, N.C. 27702. Periodical mail postage paid at Durham, N.C. 27702 and additional offices. First-class postage is $14 extra per year. E-mail: thewolfpacker@comanpub.com • Web site: www.thewolfpacker.com Barber's season ranks with past NC State players who won ACC Player of the Year. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN