It was hard to miss the fire burning in the eyes of Northeastern junior guard Jose Juan Barea when he helped lead the Huskies to a 63-48 win over Boston University Sunday afternoon.
With word of his intentions to declare for the NBA draft surfacing over the weekend, Barea knew he had to step up and lead his team to a much needed victory over Boston University Sunday afternoon.
However, the Puerto Rico native was held scoreless during the entire first half, and the offense he was in charge of scored just 18 points to trail BU by seven.
But before the sound of the final buzzer, Barea would leave his mark on the game.
Any given Sunday
Barea scored his first basket at the 15:46 mark of the second half to keep the Huskies within five points at 31-26. However, spectators witnessed a scare just under a minute later when Barea was dealt a dose of contact going up for a layup. During the entire game, the referees tried their hardest to let the two teams fight it out without too many whistles. But since Barea missed the layup and fell to the ground without a whistle, the ball was still live and players from both teams jumped, trying to secure the rebound. BU forward Tony Gaffney got the board and Northeastern junior forward Janon Cole inadvertently landed on Barea’s head, seemingly knocking him unconscious and stopping the game for a few minutes. When team trainer Art Horne finally got Barea on his feet, he escorted him into the locker room. The crowd clapped in support of the Husky stand-out.
Barea resurfaced shortly after leaving and went right back into the game. His shot still wasn’t falling, but he found a way to get the Huskies back in the game. When they took the lead he was instrumental in holding off the Terriers.
By hitting 6-of-7 free throws and notching four assists, four rebounds and two crucial steals after returning to the lineup, Barea displayed an element of his game that numbers cannot reveal. Barea showed the NBA scouts in attendance and the people watching the game on NESN his grit and desire to win the game.
Despite scoring a season-low 10 points (less than half of his average), Barea had arguably one of the best games of his career. It was a must-win for Northeastern, with a first round bye in the AE tourney on the line and Barea stepped up.
Hoop dreams
It’s hard to believe it’s only been two-and-a-half years since the letters JJB became synonymous with NU basketball.
The News broke the story this summer after a Puerto Rican publication quoted Jose saying he wanted to test the NBA waters after this season.
Barea couldn’t be reached for comment, but The Boston Globe got his father to go on record Saturday and confirmed that Barea, a junior, will enter his name in the draft this year, however he will only leave NU after this season if he has a first round guarantee.
Dick Vitale, a syndicated college basketball columnist, listed Barea as his No. 1 player flying under the radar, while ESPN.com‘s Chad Ford listed Barea as a legitimate second-rounder that could move into the first round with good performances in predraft camps.
Barea is the only player in NCAA Division I to rank in the top 10 in both scoring and assists (21.6 ppg, 7.1 apg). Sports enthusiasts, such as Vitale, advocate performances such as Barea’s versus BU — a player that gives his all.
The Huskies are still vying for a spot to win the conference title. If their goal proves successful, Barea could be brought into a whole new light, even a whole new league: the NBA.
