Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
After giving it all he had for the University of Maine men’s basketball team for the last four years, Troy Barnies now has his eyes set abroad.
The 6-foot-7-inch forward is looking to capitalize on a breakout senior year — where he led the Black Bears in points, rebounds and steals per game, while tallying the most minutes on the team and taking and making the most free throws — and play professional basketball in Europe.
“I think it’s awesome,” Barnies said. “How many people can say they’re getting paid for doing what they dreamed about — what they love?”
Barnies finished the season averaging 14.3 points per game, while pulling down almost eight rebounds per contest.
As far as what team he’d play for or even in which country, it’s far too early to tell.
“I haven’t heard anything from teams,” Barnies said. “I work out on my own until around June then head for tryouts and workouts with teams over the summer. I’m really new to all this. Everything [Assistant Coach] Doug Leichner tells me I believe. He’s been over there and knows the ins and outs.
“The only place I’ve been outside the U.S. is Canada,” Barnies said. “I’ve never left the country other than that. I don’t have a preference [as to where I go] but I want to be on a good team and I want to contribute. Now I want to show everyone in the world what I can do.”
Barnies is now in the early stages of trying to figure out life after UMaine, which not too long ago appeared to be a life without basketball.
“I hadn’t really thought about [playing overseas] until this year,” he said. “Playing college ball until my junior year, I wasn’t as productive as I would have wanted to be. It really just came up in the last couple months. I wanted to keep playing, but I didn’t know how serious I would take it.”
The Auburn native got a late start on the basketball court, aspiring to become a football player at a young age. But after a growth spurt in middle school, Barnies turned in the pigskin for the round ball.
“I was a football player growing up and always wanted to play football at the college level,” he said. “I got a growth spurt in seventh or eighth grade and [Edward Little High School coach Mike Adams] tried to recruit me. I didn’t make the seventh grade team but I made the eighth grade team and was a big goof and didn’t know what I was doing.”
Barnies quickly developed into his newly acquired height and was ready to play come high school.
“I grew into my athletic ability around ninth grade,” he said. “When I made varsity I figured I had the chance to do something and as I got older I took it way more serious. My mentality going into any game was I always wanted to win and be the best. It took me a couple years of work to get where I am. I was really horrible, no joke.”
“What we saw at our summer program was this tall, gangly kid with some potential,” Adams said. “He wasn’t this physical presence; he made himself into what he is. He ended up being a dream to coach. He gives me too much credit. He’s done this with hard work.”
That tenacity didn’t stay behind at Edward Little, as Barnies gained a reputation for leaving everything on the court and not taking plays off, which translated well for UMaine during their success this season.
“I said to Troy that his college career emulated his high school,” Adams said. “He averaged two points a game for us as a cornrows-clad freshman. He ended up getting better every year until he averaged 23 points per game his senior year.”
Although there were high points for Barnies and UMaine this season, such as starting the conference season 8-1, and beating both the University of Massachusetts and Penn State by double digits on the road, it turned out to be a disappointing end, especially for Barnies, who then thought he just played his last game.
“After my last game, I was very emotional for a couple days,” Barnies said. “Four years of hard work with all my teammates — it does emotionally affect me. I had some ups and downs here but I wouldn’t say I have any regrets. The only thing I wish is that I played all four years as consistently as this one. But I’m glad I ended as well as I did.”
Leading up to this season, Barnies, a kinesiology and physical education major, had thought about giving coaching a shot after his college career came to an end.
“I wanted to be around athletics,” he said. “Being in a Division I program I knew I would have a good opportunity to coach. I feel really comfortable around people and feel coaching would be great for me.”
And if he has it his way, which on the court he usually does, it looks like Barnies is putting the clipboard and dress shoes away for a few more years in exchange for the arm sleeve and high-tops.
Bangor Daily News