Anthony "Cat" Barber is an American professional basketball player for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played three seasons of college basketball for NC State, where he earned first-team All-ACC honors as a junior.
Barber grew up in the same area of Virginia as NBA star, Allen Iverson. Barber has even drawn comparisons to the former superstar in both his appearance and style of play. A standout player for Hampton High School, Barber averaged 21.0 points per game in his sophomore campaign. In 2011, Barber was named to the All-Eastern Region's first team in the Peninsula District as the only underclassman. Barber led his school to a 27–6 record and a Virginia State Title in 2012. During his championship junior season, Barber averaged 21.3 points per game, earning him Class AAA Player of the Year honors. His senior year solidified his legacy at Hampton, posting a 22–6 record and averaging 20.2 points per game. He finished his high school career with 2,097 points total. During his high school years, Barber played AAU basketball under Boo Williams. Barber was selected to the McDonald's All American Game. The 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was held in Chicago's United Center where Barber recorded 11 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. Barber was also able to capture a bronze medal in the 2012 Nike Global Challenge.
College career
Barber was ranked fourth among point guards in the 2013 recruiting class, and was a highly coveted recruit. On September 15, 2012, Barber signed with North Carolina State University to play for the N.C. State basketball team after being recruited by assistant coach, Rob Moxley. In his recruitment process, Barber also looked at attending the University of Kansas or the University of Alabama. In 2015–16, Barber was named first-team All-ACC and led the conference with averages of 24 points and 39 minutes played per game. He was also named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy. Over the course of his three seasons with the Wolfpack, he appeared in 104 games and posted averages of 15 points, four assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes per game. Barber finished his college career ranking 13th all time in NC State history in scoring with 1,507 points in just 3 years. On March 22, 2016, Barber declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Barber joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On August 31, 2016, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was waived on October 24 after appearing in two preseason games. Five days later, he was acquired by the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the 76ers. On February 3, 2017, Barber was traded to the Charlotte Hornets affiliate Greensboro Swarm in exchange for guard Aaron Harrison. On July 26, 2017, Barber signed with New Basket Brindisi in Italy. On November 21, 2017, he parted ways with Brindisi after appearing in seven games. On November 29, 2017, Barber returned to Greensboro Swarm for a second stint. In 29 games played for the Swarm, Barber averaged 16.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. On March 27, 2018, Barber signed with the Israeli team Ironi Nahariya for the rest of the season. On April 25, 2018, Barber recorded a season-high 25 points, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range, along with five assists in a 77–81 loss to Hapoel Gilboa Galil. For the 2018–19 season, Barber re-joined the Greensboro Swarm. On February 21, 2019, Barber was traded to the Erie BayHawks for John Gillon. On March 28, 2019, Barber returned to Ironi Nahariya for a second stint, signing for the rest of the season. On April 15, 2019, Barber recorded a career-high 36 points, shooting 11-of-22 from the field, along with three rebounds and two assists in a 93–96 overtime loss to Hapoel Gilboa Galil. In 10 games played for Nahariya, he averaged 16.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. On November 8, 2019, Barber returned to the G League to play for the College Park Skyhawks. He was named G League player of the week on February 3, 2020, after averaging 26 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in three games. He posted 29 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in a loss to the Raptors 905 on March 10.
Personal life
The son of Pamela Barber, he has an older sister and a daughter. He majored in social work. Barber's older sister, Pam, is credited with giving him the moniker "Cat" due to his quick and agile movements as a child.
