The high-scoring point guard was compared to another Virginia native and future NBA Hall of Famer in high school.
Video: Anthony "Cat" Barber High School HighlightsSee the current NC State guard in his days at Hampton (Va.).Anthony "Cat" Barber has been hearing it his whole life. And frankly, he probably relishes it.
A standout point guard at
Hampton (Va.) in the same neighborhood as Allen Iverson, he was often compared to Iverson, though surely a different kind of player. But equally effective.
Barber, who led North Carolina State to a 66-65 win over LSU in a first-round NCAA East Regional game on Thursday, averaged 20.2 points per game his senior year for Hampton (22-6) and was named state Class AAA Player of the Year as a junior when he averaged 21.3 points per game.
Barber led the Wolfpack in scoring with 17 points against LSU, though it was teammate BeeJay Anya who made the game-winning bucket with 0.1 seconds left. The Wolfpack trailed by 16 at halftime.
As a freshman at NC State, he averaged 8.5 points per game, but has improved to 12.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He leads the team in assists (122) and is second in steals with 27.
NC State (21-13), the eighth seed, and Barber take on top seed Villanova (33-2) in Saturday's round of 32.
BTW, "Cat" earned his nickname for his quick moves as a child. His sister Pam gave him the name.
