Junior guard Cat Barber is having a spectacular season. Based off his play, he should be more than just considered for the ACC Player of the Year award — he should win it.
March is approaching, which means the time for the award to be announced is drawing near. The award is meant to be given to the ACC’s most outstanding player, not to the best player on the best team in the ACC, as many assume. It was first presented in 1953 to former Wake Forest center Dickie Hemric and was most recently awarded to former Duke center Jahlil Okafor. Six former NC State players have won the award in eight different seasons since its creation.
Center Ronnie Shavlik won in 1956, guard Lou Pucillo in 1959, guard/forward David Thompson won three years in a row from 1973-1975, guard Rodney Monroe in 1991, guard Julius Hodge in 2004 and most recently forward T.J. Warren in 2014.
Barber is currently being considered for the award, but he is seldom discussed by the media. He is consistently mentioned last by commentators when they speak about whom they would select. Other current candidates for the award include UNC-Chapel Hill senior forward Brice Johnson, Duke sophomore guard Grayson Allen and Virginia redshirt senior guard Malcolm Brogdon.
The other candidates all have something in common: each of their teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. State is currently below .500 (14-15, 4-12 ACC), and because of this, Barber is receiving less attention than he deserves. Despite his team’s record this season, Barber’s individual play should be enough for him to become the seventh NC State player to win the award.
Before mentioning scoring, passing or anything else, Barber’s time on the court must first be noted. The point guard leads the ACC and is second in the entire NCAA in minutes played per game with 38.6.
This means that everything he does on the court he does with less rest than anyone else in the conference and with less rest than all but one player in the league. Some would say that this extra time on the court gives him extra time to boost his numbers. Contrastly, very few players would be able to maintain high level play on only 1.4 minutes of rest a game.
Now to talk about his scoring. Barber currently averages 23.2 points per game, which leads the ACC and puts him in seventh place in the NCAA. NC State averages 76.2 points per contest, meaning Barber scores about one-third of his team’s points. He does this in myriad ways. His quickness gives him the ability to get to the basket, and once he’s there, he has a knack for getting the ball into the basket regardless of what type of spin he has to put on it or who’s in his way.
These abilities are why some refer to him as a one-man fast break. He also has the Russell Westbrook-like ability to stop on a dime and make a mid-range jumper. Lastly, Barber’s off-season work has resulted in an improved 3-point shot of which he shoots 35.4 percent (best on his team, min. 50 attempts).
Some may ask, “Aren’t all these points just proving Barber to be a ball hog?” That statement couldn’t be more false. The high-scoring point guard averages 4.3 assists per game, tied for seventh in the conference. The 6-foot-2-inch Barber also averages 4.6 rebounds per game, good for fifth on the team.
These averages of 23.2 points, 4.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds are impressive considering that in ACC men’s basketball history, only two players have had seasons in which they’ve averaged at least 22 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds. With aabove average assist outputs in the final games, Barber will join the club.
All of these things considered, Barber has a great case for ACC Player of the Year. His numbers and value to his team outweigh Johnson’s 16.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, Allen’s 20.9 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game and Brogdon’s 18.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Though these other players are the best players on their respective AP Top-25 teams, as previously stated, the award is meant for the most outstanding player.
Some recent ACC POY winners who were on teams that were less than spectacular include Warren in 2014 (22-14) and Virginia Tech guard Erik Green in 2013 (13-19).
The Pack has two regular season games left and will try to extend its season in the ACC tournament. The ACC POY award will be announced in early March, and if Barber continues to play the way he has, then he has earned it.
