Photo by: Rob Goldberg
Summer Sessions: Kentrell Barkley
July 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball
SEASON RECAP
Barkley made significant improvements as a sophomore, seeing a spike in his points per game (13.2) and rebounds per game (7.6) and minutes per game (32.3) averages.
In addition to leading the Pirates in scoring for the first time, he also led them in rebounds, steals and free throws made for the second straight season. Barkley finished the year ranked sixth in The American in rebounding and 14th in scoring.
A three-time American Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll selection, Barkley posted nine double-doubles, scoring double figures 25 times and grabbing double-digit rebounds 10 times. He ended the season by playing his best games of the year in The American Championship, posting career-high for points (26) and rebounds (16) against Temple in the quarterfinals of the tournament. He followed that performance with 24 points against top-seeded SMU in the quarterfinals.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,066 – Minutes played as sophomore, seventh most in a season by any player in school history.
252 – Points needed for 1,000 in his career.
251 – Rebounds grabbed by Barkley on the season, up 56 from last season. He averaged 1.3 more rebounds per game as sophomore than as a freshman.
122 – More points scored as a sophomore compared to his rookie campaign. He averaged more than three points per games in 2016-17 (13.2) than 2015-16 (10.3).
54 – Rebounds shy of 500 for his career.
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ECU HEAD COACH JEFF LEBO
On Barkley's sophomore season
"He had a great year for us. He did a little bit of everything for our team. He did a lot of the dirty work and doesn't get credit for a lot of the things that he does for our team. He rebounded the ball consistently night in and night out, he shot the ball at high rate for us and he passed the ball so well."
On areas Barkley needs to improve
"I think the biggest areas for him to get better are going to be defensively, one-on-one and off the ball. A lot of that has to do with his flexibility and lateral movements. He understands those things and its something he's cognizant of. Conceptually he has to understand better in our man-to-man principles guarding action which was new for him last year because we played exclusively zone his first year."
On expectations for 2017-18
"We're expecting big things from him. We're expecting him to be a leader and to play a lot of minutes for us. Just like B.J., he's been through the wars and we're hoping to see him make the same jump from his sophomore to junior season as he did from his freshman to sophomore.
"We need him to be good every night. There is going to be pressure on him [and B.J.] to perform consistently. If you want to be a good basketball player and you want a chance to play at the next level then you have to prove yourself to be a consistent player. Agents, general managers, coaches and scouts at every level are going to talk about what you're going to bring consistently to the table; that's something we're going to count on him to do as an older player."
Barkley made significant improvements as a sophomore, seeing a spike in his points per game (13.2) and rebounds per game (7.6) and minutes per game (32.3) averages.
In addition to leading the Pirates in scoring for the first time, he also led them in rebounds, steals and free throws made for the second straight season. Barkley finished the year ranked sixth in The American in rebounding and 14th in scoring.
A three-time American Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll selection, Barkley posted nine double-doubles, scoring double figures 25 times and grabbing double-digit rebounds 10 times. He ended the season by playing his best games of the year in The American Championship, posting career-high for points (26) and rebounds (16) against Temple in the quarterfinals of the tournament. He followed that performance with 24 points against top-seeded SMU in the quarterfinals.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,066 – Minutes played as sophomore, seventh most in a season by any player in school history.
252 – Points needed for 1,000 in his career.
251 – Rebounds grabbed by Barkley on the season, up 56 from last season. He averaged 1.3 more rebounds per game as sophomore than as a freshman.
122 – More points scored as a sophomore compared to his rookie campaign. He averaged more than three points per games in 2016-17 (13.2) than 2015-16 (10.3).
54 – Rebounds shy of 500 for his career.
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ECU HEAD COACH JEFF LEBO
On Barkley's sophomore season
"He had a great year for us. He did a little bit of everything for our team. He did a lot of the dirty work and doesn't get credit for a lot of the things that he does for our team. He rebounded the ball consistently night in and night out, he shot the ball at high rate for us and he passed the ball so well."
On areas Barkley needs to improve
"I think the biggest areas for him to get better are going to be defensively, one-on-one and off the ball. A lot of that has to do with his flexibility and lateral movements. He understands those things and its something he's cognizant of. Conceptually he has to understand better in our man-to-man principles guarding action which was new for him last year because we played exclusively zone his first year."
On expectations for 2017-18
"We're expecting big things from him. We're expecting him to be a leader and to play a lot of minutes for us. Just like B.J., he's been through the wars and we're hoping to see him make the same jump from his sophomore to junior season as he did from his freshman to sophomore.
"We need him to be good every night. There is going to be pressure on him [and B.J.] to perform consistently. If you want to be a good basketball player and you want a chance to play at the next level then you have to prove yourself to be a consistent player. Agents, general managers, coaches and scouts at every level are going to talk about what you're going to bring consistently to the table; that's something we're going to count on him to do as an older player."
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