Maybe good things do come in small packages. Like 5-foot, 10-inches small. Or, more specifically, Andre Barrett small.
This past week, Seton Hall’s Barrett joined 29 other preseason candidates for Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year and he’ll begin his campaign tour against Morgan State tonight at the Meadowlands.
“You feel good having Andre back,” Pirate coach Louis Orr said. “Some people can lead a team, but they can’t score. Some can score, but they can’t lead a team. Andre can do both.”
But until now, he rarely got any credit for his obvious skills. Maybe that’s because the team has been overshadowed in the Big East. Or maybe it’s because he’s a senior and there must be something wrong if you’re a senior basketball player in college. Either way, it looks like he’s finally getting his respect.
“I definitely think I am [the best point guard in the Northeast],” said the Rice H.S. product, who averaged 16.7 points and 5.3 assists per game last season. “A lot of players are put ahead of me because they win. I haven’t won as much as I’ve wanted.”
With four Big East teams ranked in the Top 25, it’s hard to think the Pirates will do much more than they did last year when they finished at 17-13.
“Whatever championship there is to win, it’s our goal to win it,” Barrett said. “I wouldn’t say this is the most talented team that I’ve been on, but we know each other well and we know what we have to do to win.”