It has been known for a few weeks now that Central Bucks South forward Will Barrett had decided on Princeton as his collegiate destination, but it wasn't until tonight that I was able to finally get his extremely busy high school coach, Jason Campbell, on the phone.
Campbell shared his first-hand knowledge of Barrett's game with me and his quotes from our conversation, plus many links about this well-regarded prospect can be found after the jump.
This piece is one of six on princetonbasketball.com about the members of the 2009 Princeton recruiting class.
The 6'8", 210 lb co-captain of the Central Bucks South Titans is a "an athletic wing player with guard-like skills," according to his coach. "[Will] has a nice outside game and has a good drive, especially going left to the basket. He is a great passer who creates things for his teammates. He is also a great leader. I really rely on him. He's a teammate that is well-liked and well-respected. He worked really hard this off-season to become a better player. He practiced what he preached - he was at every open gym leading by example."
Campbell, who is in his fifth season as head man at CBS, said Barrett "feels more comfortable on the perimeter, but we have him posting up as well. He dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger [in the off-season], working on his post game."
Barrett's skill set is closer to a guard's than a center's. "My first or second year I remember him coming to the summer camp and he was probably only 5'11"," said Campbell. "He had a big growth spurt after eighth grade where he went from 5"11" to 6"2" and next thing I knew he was 6'5". His body caught up to his ball handling skills."
Campbell went out of his way to praise Barrett's abilities away from the hardwood. "When you get to know him as a whole, he's a well-rounded individual," Campbell remarked. "He's the same way in the classroom that he is on the basketball court. He takes his academics serious just like he takes his basketball serious. Who knows if I will ever have another DI kid like that again, so I want to appreciate it while I have him."
When asked where Barrett still had to improve, Campbell cited a need to work on his post game and continue to get stronger. "He needs to be a bit better of a screener and coming off of a screen," Campbell added.
ESPN ranks Barrett as the #55 power forward nationally in his class, writing that "Barrett has effectively made the transition from a face-up four man to a true three man. He has tremendous size for the perimeter and is a huge mismatch problem for opposing defenses. Although his jump shot remains somewhat streaky with skewed mechanics, he has improved to the point where he is a legitimate threat from behind the three-point line when his feet are set, as well as off the dribble from 12-18 feet." Barrett received a score of 88 from ESPN's scouts (compared to an 85 for another Princeton recruit, Ian Hummer).
Barrett made the Philadelphia Inquirer's "Nifty Fifty", where they described him as "a highly-skilled combo forward...versatile enough to score on post-up moves, spin moves and jump hook shots. He's a good passer that also moves well without the ball. Barrett can also defend a number of positions. His perimeter skills are the most impressive aspects of his game. Barrett is a very good catch-and-shoot scorer."
A CAA Insider report from August 2007 at the Sonny Hill Future Stars Tournament wrote that "Will caught our attention early by hitting a perimeter jumper. He didn’t stop there though. He has very good wing skills for a player of his size. He can handle the ball and often even drives left despite that not being his dominant hand. Will could tighten up his handle some, but he really has no problem getting into the lane. In addition to playing on the wing, Will showed he can go inside too. He had a nice reverse lay-up and mixed in a solid short jump hook too. He had a solid pass to a cutting teammate as well. Will can rebound too, although he is on the thin side and greatly benefit in that area by adding some strength. He does need to move quicker on defense, but his timing was pretty good as he blocked several shots. With how little we know about Will, we are very eager to see more of this talented big man as the tournament rolls along."
Here is some more on Barrett from umhoops.com, posted after Barrett took a visit to Michigan in September.
HoopScoop ranked Barrett 369th nationally in his class when he was a junior and placed him on their Sixth Team All-Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey. PhillyHoops sees Barrett as 20th out of the region's Top 100 players and 14th in his class.
In a Hoopville review of the Summer Classic East, the author remarked that "The lanky combo forward showed some promise early, as he was active, blocked shots and showed ball skills and the ability to finish getting the ball off of a cut. Then he turned up the volume on each and scored on drives and from long range, going for 23 points in his last game of the day. Big East coaches are paying attention, although he might not quite be at that level as a high-major minus prospect."
Finally, enjoy a profile of Barrett from the Bucks County Intelligencer.
