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NEW YORK KNICKSBarrett adjusts to life as an underdog Former Seton Hall star fighting the odds for a spot on Knick roster
Sunday, October 10, 2004
By COLIN STEPHENSON
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- For the first time in his life, Andre Barrett is a long shot.

The 22-year-old former Seton Hall point guard has been an elite player everywhere he has played. Rice High School in Manhattan was the No. 1-ranked high school team in the country. Barrett entered Seton Hall as one of the top 10 players in the nation, and part of then-coach Tommy Amaker's highly prized recruiting class of 2000.

In four years at South Orange, N.J., he became Seton Hall's all-time leader in minutes played and earned honorable mention All-America recognition in leading the Pirates into the NCAA Tournament as a senior last March.

But Barrett's name wasn't called during the NBA Draft in June. And now, the 5-foot-10, 173-pound Bronx native has gone from star to anonymous body at the Knicks' training camp at the College of Charleston.

When the Knicks' veterans talk about the team's rookie, it is not about Barrett but second-round pick Trevor Ariza, 19, a 6-8 swingman from UCLA.

Barrett, who started all 122 games of his college career, averaging 15.3 points and 5.4 assists per game, is just another guy with a nonguaranteed contract, fighting just to catch the eye of coach Lenny Wilkens.

But Barrett said he has had no problem making the adjustment to his new reality. And, in fact, he relishes his situation, trying out for his hometown team.

"You've got to understand that the draft -- there's a lot of politics involved in it," Barrett said. "I think that (Seton Hall) had a good season, but it was at the end of my career, so I think they put a lot of that on me, as far as (not being successful) my freshman year, or my sophomore year.

"Right after the draft, I was told by my agent that Isiah (Thomas, the Knicks' president and general manager) was interested in me playing summer league. So that's good to know that he was looking at the draft, and I was probably the next person on his mind."

Barrett averaged 13 points and 5.7 assists in three games at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament for draft candidates, then averaged 7.7 points and 3.5 assists in 28 minutes for the Knicks' entry in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, Calif.

Now the trick is to make an impression on a team that already has the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts. That would seem just about impossible, but Barrett can't let himself think that way.

"I think Isiah has shown that if you're a talented player, and he likes you, he's going to make sure that you're a part of his organization," Barrett said.

There should be minutes available for Barrett during training camp. Coming off the Olympics, starting point guard Stephon Marbury's playing time during scrimmages will be limited. With Allan Houston unlikely to play in the preseason, No. 2 point guard Jamal Crawford probably will spend much of camp playing shooting guard. There are only two more point guards on the 18-man preseason roster -- veteran Moochie Norris and Barrett.

Wilkens, who said he was impressed with the way Barrett pushed the ball, penetrated and found open teammates during his time in the summer league, offered a polite -- but hardly gushing -- evaluation.

"He had a great summer with us, and he's having a good camp," Wilkens said. "We'll see where it goes. I can't tell you today (where he stands). We've got a lot of people, and so we're trying to see what works and what doesn't work."

Barrett's coach at Seton Hall, Louis Orr, likes his former star's situation.

"He's in a place where he's got a chance to make the team, and he's going to gain a lot from this experience," said Orr, a former Knick. "Once the exhibition games start, he'll be visible. Other people will have a chance to see him play, so even if it doesn't work out with the Knicks, he'll have a chance to impress somebody else."

Marbury, a fellow New York City product, didn't sugarcoat Barrett's chances.

"He has to play way harder than everyone else," Marbury said. "He can't stay on one pace. He has to pretty much create his own tempo and try to get guys to follow behind him."

Barrett said he understands that.

"I think (in college) I always had the attitude of trying to play hard, trying to be first in every drill, things like that," he said. "That same mentality I tried to take to training camp and just come out, every drill, try to go as hard as I can."