Former UK standout Barbour makes pro debut
May 9, 2004 - World Basketball Association (WBA)
Kentucky Reach News Release
Elizabethtown, Ky. â While Antwain Barbour most certainly would have preferred the glitz and glamour of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the former University of Kentucky standout still decided to make the most of his professional basketball debut with Kentucky Reach, an inaugural World Basketball Association (WBA) franchise that plays its home games at Central Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, KY.
Barbour, a 6-5 guard, who formerly led Elizabethtown High School to a state championship in 2000 and Wabash Valley to a junior college championship a year later, scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half to propel Kentucky Reach to a 76-71 victory over the visiting Jackson (Mississippi) Rage on Sunday.
"I just wanted to come out and have fun," said Barbour, who just recently returned from an NBA free agent camp held in Oklahoma from May 6-8. "I was a little nervous at first, but finally settled down."
Barbour, who played a major role in helping the University of Kentucky to consecutive Southeastern Conference Tournament championships, made his professional debut in the waning moments of the first quarter. After three early turnovers, the former Wildcat seemed to settle down after his first field goal, a driving layup, tied the score at 21-21 with 9:19 remaining in the second quarter.
"He definitely had some jitters early on," said Kentucky Reach coach Jim Farmer. "He was excited and might have been trying to do to much. He settled in nicely though, and hit some big, big shots for us."
One of those big shots came in the early stages of the final stanza. Kentucky Reach led only 55-50 at the end of the third quarter, but it was Barbour's long three-pointer with 9:27 remaining in regulation that gave the Reach its largest lead at 58-50.
"I just wanted to try to help the team in any way I could," said Barbour who played 16 minutes. "I just wanted to have fun and try to knock down some shots."
Farmer admired Barbour's play considering the limited amount of time he's been able to practice with his Reach teammates.
"He hasn't really been here, because he's had commitments with the UK senior's barnstorming team," said Farmer, a former Alabama standout and NBA first-round draft pick. "He really gave us a tremendous lift in the second half. He'll only get better as he gets more comfortable."
Once again, Kentucky Reach found itself in a nail-biter over the game's waning minutes. The Reach had built a comfortable 69-60 lead with 4:30 left following two free throws from Barbour, but the Rage would not go away easily. Jackson's Marckell Patterson, a 6-5 forward from Mississippi State who scored a team-high 22 points, connected on a baseline three-pointer and following a missed layup by Reach guard Lamont Roland, added another 15-footer from the baseline to cut the deficit to 69-65 with 3:02 remaining in regulation.
Following a timeout, the Reach's Roland committed a turnover, and then fouled Jackson's Cedrick Brooks on the other end. With a chance to cut the deficit to two points, Brooks missed both foul shots. The visiting Rage (3-1) never got closer than four points again.
Jackson, who defeated Kentucky Reach 87-86 just 10 days earlier to spoil opening night, once again got a strong performance from Mario Austin. Austin, a 6-10 center who starred at Mississippi State and formerly drafted by the Chicago Bulls, scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
"He's a great player," Farmer said of Austin. "Last time he scored 28 points on us. I thought we did a much better job on him today, but he was still fantastic."
Kentucky Reach continued to ride the strong play of Tyrone Levett, a chiseled 6-5 forward from Alabama State. Levett, the team's leading scorer, poured in a game-high 23 points. Roland (LSU) added 17 points, including nine of 10 from the free throw line. Rob Lewin (Troy St.) contributed 7 points, but more importantly a team-high 13 rebounds.
"I was impressed with the competition, " added Barbour. "I thought all of us played with a lot of confidence. It was fun."
Jackson led 40-36 at the half behind the strong scoring of Austin (11 points) and Will Brand (10 points). Kentucky kept the game within "Reach" in the first half behind 12 points from Levett. Poor free throw shooting plagued the Rage (15 of 28), while the Reach were an impressive 31 for 37.
"We've been really focusing on the importance of free throws," noted Farmer. "Today, we did a great job of knocking them down." Kentucky Reach (3-3) will host the Macon (Georgia) Blaze on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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World Basketball Association Stories from May 9, 2004
- Former UK standout Barbour makes pro debut - Kentucky Reach
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