Pack lands top 10 senior Anthony Barber
NC State's backcourt of the future added a signature Rivals.com five-star recruit this weekend.
The Wolfpack earned a heated recruiting win for Hampton (Va.) High senior point guard Anthony Barber on Saturday he told The Wolfpacker. Barber completes his official visit Sunday morning. NC State coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Rob Moxley led the charge in Barber's recruitment.
"Out of all the visits I've been too, this felt like the most comfortable spot for me," Barber said. "This is where I wanted to be."
The Rivals.com No. 9-ranked overall player and No. 3 point guard picked the Wolfpack over Kansas and Alabama, and he previously earned scholarship offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Providence, Florida State and Connecticut.
"His speed is electric, and he makes it even tougher to deal with because he changes gears and has tremendous body control," said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi in a past evaluation. "When he's shooting with confidence - particularly 12- to 17-foot pull-ups - there just aren't any high school guards who can stay in front of him."
The 6-foot 3/4, 168-pound Barber, who goes by the nickname "Cat," arrived for his third official visit - Kansas and Louisville were his first two - late Thursday night and was able to meet with the coaches and his future teammates. The NC State football team hosts South Alabama tonight at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Barber joins NC State's potential star-studded backcourt, which includes 2012 McDonald's All-American's Tyler Lewis and Rodney Purvis, who play point guard and shooting guard respectfully. Current junior point guard Lorenzo Brown could also return, but could be a strong early 2013 NBA draft candidate with an expected good season. LSU transfer Ralston Turner will also be eligible on the wing next year, and is an accomplished long-range shooter
Barber, who was a standout for the Boo Williams traveling program, was first offered by NC State on May 3, 2011. He helped Boo Williams go 13-7 during EYBL competition, and averaged 15.1 points per game. He shot 45.2 percent from the field, 46 percent from three-point land and 81 percent at the free-throw line, leading up to the Nike Peach Jam.
Boo Williams went 1-4 at the Peach Jam on July 18-22 in North Augusta, S.C. The NC State coaching staff watched Barber extensively throughout the event. He averaged 12.4 points per game, and shot 22 of 58 from the field (37.9 percent), 8 of 25 from three-point land (32 percent) and 10 of 13 from the line (76.9 percent).
Barber helped solidify his Rivals.com five-star status by averaging 14.3 points per game at the NBPA Camp in mid-June at the University of Virginia.