Jose Juan Barea racked up 54 points in two victories last week, and has been named The Northeastern News Player of the Week.
The sophomore point guard rolled up a season-high 33 points to top Maine 82-79, including the game-winning layup with less than a minute to play. He followed up that performance with team-leading 21 points in a 76-67 victory over New Hampshire.
In an early season victory over Suffolk, Rams’ head coach Dennis McHugh expressed regret that he had not seen Barea, who was injured, play in person. McHugh called the Puerto Rico native “the best point guard in New England.”
Huskies coach Ron Everhart, who somehow recruited Barea and several of his teammates from sunny Miami to the frigid Northeast, is ready to do McHugh one better.
“[Barea] is maybe one of the best out there,” Everhart said. “One of the point guards I’ve seen a lot is Jameer Nelson from St. Joe’s, you can compare them in many ways.”
To put that statement in perspective, St. Joseph’s is the No. 3 team in the country, undefeated at 19-0, and Nelson is their best player.
“He has a great motor and plays with a lot of intensity,” continued Everhart. “He is a guy who prefers to make things happen on offense rather than stand around and see what the defense gives him.
“He’s been great for our program, we like to play up-tempo on both offense and defense. He’s heady, yet aggressive with the basketball, which gets us a lot of easy baskets. He makes us go.”
Barea sustained a lateral meniscus tear in the season opener against Rhode Island, and played on it until it was decided that arthroscopic surgery was necessary. The tear was not as serious as previously thought, and the Huskies had their star back within two weeks (four games).
At the end of the game Everhart would be happy to see the ball in Barea’s hands, though not necessarily to take the final shot.
“What’s most advantagous for us [at the end of the game], is that he can create an open shot for his teammates, as well as himself,” he said.
“[My role] is to be the point guard, a leader, to run the team as good as I can and to help everyone get better,” said Barea. “We are on a good streak, even with the loss to BU we still played well. We are playing at a higher level now.”
For the second time in three weeks Barea was named America East co-player of the week. He took home AE rookie of the year honors five times last season.
Barea’s 5.53 assists per game is tops in the conference, while his 20.5 points per game trails only Vermont’s Taylor Coppernath.
Originally from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Barea played basketball for one year at Miami Christian High School, leading the team to a 38-2 record, setting a state record for wins and winning a division I-A championship.
– Peter Conroy, News Staff
