By Cardell Dudley
With the 2014-2015 college season upon us, it's only right to give our two cents on who you should keep an eye on throughout the college hoops landscape in the DMV. With the rise of so many local programs such as Towson and George Washington to go along with traditional powers like Georgetown and Maryland, college basketball throughout the DMV may be the deepest its ever been. Let us begin........
At a program like NC State especially being in a LOADED conference like the ACC, down years just aren't accepted. Sure losing ACC Player of the Year TJ Warren and his 24.9 points per game to the NBA is a big blow, hell it would be a major hit for any program, yet an still, it's not acceptable to settle for a less successful year, especially with talented youngsters on the roster who appears ready to take on the challenge of leading NC State. One of the youngsters for NC State who will have to grow in a major way if NC State has any hopes of a deep tourney run is point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber. The boy isn't called Cat for nothing, on the court he is blur, a one man break, lethal at penetrating defenses and making plays, especially for his teammates. Last season, Barber average 8.5 points and 3.5 assist per game while splitting time with former NC State now current Butler point guard Tyler Lewis. After Lewis decided to transfer shortly after last season ended, it was pretty much a consensus that the point guard spot is Barbers job to lose. With a year under his belt and already among ACC leaders in assist-turnover ratio, Barber should explode this season. The only question mark is will be improve on his 40% shooting from the field from last season, if he does, NC State will be hell to deal with, if he remains inconsistent, it could be an up down year. If the steady improvement Barber showed late last season continues, he has a chance to be one of the best point guards not just in the ACC, but the country. Take a look at some of Barbers highlights from last season below.