Making The Grade: Cat Barber

As the season started many questioned if Anthony Barber was the right guy to lead NC State in the coming years, and for a good part of the season the answer seemed to be no. After the death of a close friend Cat chose to heed the staff’s advice about not overthinking the position and from the Georgia Tech game forward he gave us plenty of flashes of the speed and scoring ability that made him a five star recruit. However with such magnificent games there were still some games that left us scratching our heads. Take for example the Duke game in the ACC Tournament where he had 0 points and failed to make any impact. This was especially puzzling following such a world class performance the game prior versus Pittsburgh. Let’s breakdown Cat’s season and see what to expect from him moving ahead.

Offense: 

Only one word can accuratly describe Cat and that is electric. No player can reach the same top speeds as Cat in the NCAA. The kid is simply a blur with the ball in his hands. This attribute alone was a factor in many of his struggles in the first 20 or so games of the season; as he failed to dial back his speed in the half court. Too often Cat would go full speed into the lane or traffic only to lose his balance or put up a weak shot with no power. From the sidelines and TV many of us beckoned for him to slow down. His struggles early were compounded by his opponents as they dared him to shoot from the outside, this made things frustrating as his defender was able to leverage his blazing speed by not pressing up on him outside the three-point line.

Then his game started to come together as he found his stroke from distance. Over the last 10 ACC games Cat shot a respectable 42 % from three allowing him to use his greatest strength which is his speed. Not only was Cat running the team more effectively but he finally displayed good decision making as he used his speed to get himself out of trouble instead of into it. Another area that improved greatly was his passing. Cat was able to get into the lane late in the season which caused the other team’s big men to help cut off the open lane, this gave way to a handful of easy dunks as Cat would drop it off to Abu, Anya, and Freeman. Now this is a skill that Cat must continue to work on. NC State became an upper echelon team when Cat Barber scored the ball efficiently as he was a great barometer for the Pack, he will have to improve in the off season if State wants to reach greater heights next season.

Grade: C+ 

Defense: 

Blessed with good length and outstanding quickness Cat was able to turn himself into a pesky defender who showed the ability to take away other team’s star players. This season Cat found himself matched up with some great guards as the ACC schedule threw top level talent at the Pack each and every night. In my opinion this is why Gottfried wanted Cat to be his featured point guard as he had the greatest ability to be a great two way guard. On the season Barber was able to shut down some great guards which allowed the Wolfpack to knock off a couple of nationally recognized programs. In the UNC game in Chapel Hill Cat stayed in Paige’s back pocket which resulted in a 3-8 night from the field. Then at Louisville Barber used the same grit and toughness to lock down the lead scorer in the ACC Terry Rozier. One of the main strengths in Cat’s defense is his versatility to guard shooters off the ball as well as pressing the ball handler full court. In more than one occasion we would see Gottfried sic Cat onto opponent’s point guards to make their life difficult as he would disrupt their flow. Look at the Syracuse game where Cat completely took them out of their offense as the point guard could not call his plays or get them into a position to attack. State doesn’t win those games without Cat’s effort on defense it is that simple.

Grade: A- 

Intangibles: 

This is a difficult category as it can be hard to gauge certain intangibles when you are not in the inner circle of a team, but what I saw this season was a team that believed in Cat. He wasn’t the most vocal leader but he was a willing communicator on defense. I could hear him talking to his big men to help them navigate ball screens, I could hear him pleading with his teammates to keep playing, and I saw him respond to his coaches. I think being coachable is a great skill and it is one that Cat has. Early in the season Cat could of thrown this season away as he found himself benched and excluded from the starting lineup; however, he made the choice to keep working and listen. He stayed focussed and learned from the bench. His teammates recognized his desire to take a backseat at a time when he wasn’t at his best in order to put them in the best position to win. After he figured things out he made sure he played with great effort and intensity.

Let’s take a look at this kid’s mental toughness. Cat loses one of his best friends and has to sit out the FSU game in Tallahassee as he tells Gottfried he isn’t in a good mental state to help his team win that day. The next game State plays at Miami where Barber had a mediocre game 6 points and 6 assists. The thing that stuck out to me in this game was the maturity he displayed in the last minute of that game. Let’s paint a picture, NC State was up big on the road only to lose by 5 points. With the game unravelling before our eyes Cat finds himself near the out of bounds line when a fan unexpectedly reached out and makes contact with him. At this moment catastrophe could of struck, but Cat simply gave the fan a dirty look and walked away. In the heat of the action Barber kept his cool and showed me that he is capable of becoming a great leader and player for State. His intangibles should help him reach greater heights in the coming season.

Grade: B+

Offseason Checklist: 

The biggest thing Cat must gain this offseason is consistency. He must work extremely hard offensively to be able to counter opposing teams game plans which will focus on keeping him out of the paint. The best way to counter that is being able to consistently hit open jump shots that will make a defender pay for playing off of him. In my opinion the player Cat should model his game after is Tony Parker! I don’t know if many of you watch the NBA but personally I am an NBA junkie who pays close attention to the point guard position. Tony Parker has reinvented himself throughout his career to stay in consideration of being one of the top guards in the association. Early in his career Parker relied solely on his speed and ability to finish in the paint to be effective. Sound familar? Sooner rather than later the league took notice of his inability to make an outside shot which neutralized his ability to get to the rim easily. Like Barber, Parker isn’t the most explosive athlete when it comes to jumping but he has learned how to use a mid-range jumper to terrorize defenses.

I would love to see Barber develop a deadly 12-18 foot jump shot that he can get off against any defender. There is no reason why Cat cannot incorporate some of the same principles that Parker uses to score and distribute in the NBA. Cat has the same speed and quickness that Tony Parker possesses and has a great handle for the ball that he can use to get his defender off balance. That is the key for Cat as he must keep other teams off balance by attacking and probing constantly. If Cat can take another step forward offensively and find consistency there is no reason why NC State cannot be a contender in the ACC next season. In addition to improving offensively I would like to see him get stronger in his lower body which will allow him to finish at a greater rate underneath. Too often this season he was knocked off his line as he attacked the rim which resulted in missed layups.

This off season is of monumental importance for Barber as he will be a keystone to the Pack next season!