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Little big man Tiny point guard Barrett wows recruiters at ABCD camp
Posted: Sunday July 11, 1999 01:15 AM
By Stewart Mandel, CNN/SI TEANECK, N.J. -- Last summer, the action film "Godzilla" tried to sell moviegoers on the theory that size does matter. This summer, Andre Barrett is selling college basketball coaches on just the opposite. At first glance, the 5-foot-9 Barrett stands more than a foot shorter than some of his teammates at the 1999 adidas ABCD camp. But those same giants looked a whole lot better on the break as recipients of Barrett's trademark, button-hook passes. "Through my whole life, people have been talking about me being undersized," said Barrett. "This [camp] was a good chance for me to show people it doesn't matter how tall you are. It's how good your game is, and how big your heart is." Indeed, Barrett has shown he has no fear weaving between big men and taking any player, no matter his size, off the dribble. He wowed scouts all week with his quick first step, crossover dribble and, most notably, his passing. At an event where most players consider passing a fourth option -- behind shooting, dunking, or finding a different spot to shoot from -- Barrett averaged 8.1 assists over eight games. "What he's done in terms of assists is a major festival/tournament record that might never be broken," said Hoop Scoop's Clark Francis. "But that's just Andre Barrett doing what we've come to expect Andre Barrett to do: hit shots, lead his team in assists and make his teammates better." Barrett, along with Taliek Brown and Omar Cook, form a unique, similarly rated trio of New York City point guards. Each is a consensus Top 10 player nationally, trailing perhaps only Marcus Taylor of Lansing, Mich., at their position. But unlike Brown, believed to be leaning toward hometown St. John's, and Cook, assumed to be heading to Chapel Hill, Barrett has given absolutely no indication where he wants to play college ball. When pressed about the subject, he offers a list of schools as varied as Baskin Robbins, including UCLA, Kentucky, Clemson, Texas, UMass, Stanford and "the Big East." Sure to be one of Barrett's closest advisers in the coming months is someone who knows a bit about the recruiting process himself: Kenny Satterfield. The McDonald's All-American guard who signed with Cincinnati last fall was a Rice High School teammate of Barrett's for back-to-back state titles and lives within walking distance of Barrett. "Kenny is a great player who showed that to people here [at ABCD camp] last year," said Barrett. "We're really close; we talk all the time. He's going to show me all the little things to look at. He's already started telling me stuff." But while college fans and coaches are eager to find out where the exciting point guard lands, don't expect an answer any time soon. "I'm going to take my time," said Barrett. "I want to make a good decision, no second thoughts. I'm the one who's going to have to live with the decision for four years."
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