Despite its recent playoff collapse, the Northeastern men’s basketball team has a legitimate shot to exert itself as one of the top 50 NCAA programs in the country. Not just next year, but for years to come.
That is, however, if the Huskies can keep intact two of the most important pieces of the puzzle: guard Jose Juan Barea and head coach Ron Everhart.
Barea has already declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA Draft, and will only return if he is not drafted in the first round. I’d say he is about as on the bubble as a player could be, playing in a mid-ranked conference but showing off his skills by being the only player in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both points and assists per game last season. Yet he is also listed at only six-feet tall (and is probably a hair under it) and that height won’t serve as an advantage in the NBA.
I’ve seen his game, and I know he can compete at the highest level, probably becoming a poor man’s mold of the Nets’ Jason Kidd and the Pistons’ Carlos Arroyo. But the question is, will scouts feel the same way?
He’s developed a bit of a bad rap, garnering the image of somewhat of an immature player. He appeared to punch Vermont forward Martin Klimes minutes after the opening tip of the conference championship on national television and turned the ball over 4.5 times per game last season. In fact, Barea was tied for the second-most turnovers in the NCAA. But many of those turnovers came on passes that were just too hot to handle for his teammates. I’ve seen him make lightning quick passes with dead-aimed precision, only to bounce off the hands of a teammate. Some of his passes were just so good that only more experienced NBA players could catch them. Either way though, a turnover is a turnover and if your amazing pass is a pass your teammate can’t catch, sorry, but it’s a bad pass.
Barea also tore it up in international play last summer for the Puerto Rican national team. The Puerto Rican native put up averages of 18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game in the under-21 tournament, leading the team to a more successful campaign than most had predicted.
Some rumors say Barea is likely to stick with international play and go to Spain for a season if he isn’t drafted in the first round this year (he already has dual citizenship there), but all sources close to Northeastern have discredited that buzz. Everhart supports his star guard and very much wants him to come back for his senior year. The problem is Everhart may not be there for it. The Huskies’ coach, who reportedly interviewed for a head coaching position at Tulane University March 29, may be gone before Northeastern transitions into the Colonial Athletic Association next season.
Tulane ended up going with former Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson for the job, but the position must have been enticing for Everhart, as he worked as an assistant coach with the Green Wave for six years. For Everhart, who could not be reached for comment, maybe it was just one of those things he couldn’t let go without an interview, and maybe he even ended up turning the position down. Even though there aren’t many other schools he would have a personal connection to, he should still be an attractive choice for other basketball programs as he is coming off a 21-win season, achieving America East Coach of the Year honors in the process.
I’m less worried than I was about losing the coach who can keep this thing moving forward. But if one thing’s for sure, you can never count too heavily on a coach staying in the same place for too long, even in college.
You can’t blame either of them. They’re both looking out for what is the best move for their careers and for their lives. But you also can’t help but have high hopes for this team. And I certainly can’t help but want this core to stay intact.
With Shawn James becoming a sophomore next year, he has a chance to better his averages of 7.6 rebounds and an astronomical 5.4 blocks per game. James even shot 63 percent from the floor and posted the only two triple-doubles in Northeastern history, all in less than 25 minutes per game. I mean, this kid (I can actually refer to someone who will be in the NBA as a kid now, as he’s a year behind me) is just a monster. If he doesn’t block a shot, he bothers it. He has serious potential in the NBA to be something like an Eddie Griffin with less of the personality issues.
Sure, senior Marcus Barnes, the second leading scorer last season, is leaving. But this team will arguably still have two NBA first round draft picks, an award-winning coach, and what is shaping up to be an impressive recruiting class.
The Huskies recently added two guards, Chris Brickley and Matt Smith, for next season who will help to fill the void once Barea does move on, be it this year or next, according to an article in the Boston Globe last Thursday. The 6-foot-3-inch Brickley, from Trinity Catholic High School in Manchester, N.H., is projected as the better prospect according to the report, which cited his ability to shoot 3-pointers.
Considering the improvement this season of center Bennet Davis, small forward Bobby Kelly and backup guard Adrian Martinez, who filled in more than admirably when Barea was unable to play, this team has the potential to storm into the Colonial next year. They should at least garner a lot of attention with their high-flying core of players and certainly have the ability to put points on the board.
More important than anything else, though, is what all this could do for this university. Think about it. Although the men’s hockey team gave a good effort this year, there isn’t a Northeastern team that gains a significant amount of attention campus-wide or one that everyone is always talking about. Not to get carried away, but look what Boston College has because of sports on campus. A great basketball, football or hockey program (or in BC’s case all three) at a college can do wonders for campus unity and pride. And in a competitive school like this, I think that is exactly what we need.
So here’s to the chance Barea and Everhart come back for at least one more year to see what this team can really do given the opportunity. It could very well end up being what’s best for their careers, and it certainly will be a great thing for this school.
— Tim Coughlin can be reached at [email protected].
