Spencer Barr: Basketball Discussion

<p><strong>Aberdeen, SD</strong> - PHD caught up with Aberdeen Central’s [player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]. We ran some questions by the junior guard and we had the opportunity to get to know this smooth shooter a little bit better. Every coach that I have talked to over the past year has raved about how genuine and how great of a kid Spencer is. He is not just a great person, he is a great basketball player. Barr is quick and skilled with top-notch ball skills. He has excellent shooting form from beyond the arc, and his mid-range pull-up is as good as it gets in SD. Spencer is a selfless player that will do whatever it takes for his team to win. He is a team-first player that wants what is best for his team. Spencer is also a tenacious defender and a great hustler that leaves everything on the court. I have watched plenty of film on him, but I had the chance this fall to see him play live at the 250 Expo and later that night at the Pentagon. Barr lived up to all the hype and he was even quicker and more skilled than I previously thought. There is no doubt in my mind that [player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"] will have a huge junior season. Get ready for a deep post-season run for Spencer and the Golden Eagles!</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1305862" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/sparr-crop-1125x739-1633966195-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h4><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"] |5-11 G| Aberdeen Central/Pentagon Schoolers</strong></h4> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Pentagon Schoolers 17U National Team Head Coach <strong>Buster Vincent</strong> comments on Spencer</span>:</p> <p><em>"Spencer is an absolute joy to coach! He is a Yes Sir, eye contact rare type of respectful young man. I can’t wait to watch Spencer perform at the varsity level this year with Aberdeen Central, they are gonna have a nice team and Spenc will be a huge part of their success. For our Pentagon Schoolers team this year we had Spencer in many roles, from PG to 4man and he excelled at all of them. My nickname for him is "sparkplug" because of the energy and hard work he brought to the team."</em></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2021 Prentagton Schooler Stats</strong></span> - 8.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.1 spg, 39.9 FG%, 90.8 FT%, 39.9 3FG%.  </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sophomore High School Season</strong></span> - 6.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 40.6 FG%, 79.6 FT%. Game high points = 14. ROOKING OF THE YEAR for CHS.  </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Aberdeen Central Head Coach <strong>Brent Norberg</strong> comments on Spencer</span>:</p> <p><em>“Spencer brings a very high skill level to our backcourt. He is a tremendously hard worker who gets the most out of his abilities. He is a phenomenal kid who will do whatever we ask him to do. He is the type of kid every coach would want to coach. He can shoot it from anywhere, handle it with confidence, and puts pressure on whoever he guards."</em></p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1305864" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/barr-crop-1125x739-1633966230-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>FULL INTERVIEW</strong></span></h4> <p><strong>PHD: What is the best part of [player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]’s game?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I would say the best part of my game is my defense. I really enjoy being challenged by guarding some of the best points in the Midwest. I love the hard work defense requires and just getting after the ball. </p> <p><strong>PHD: What are one or two things that you would like to improve on? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: My goal during this off-time is to improve my range and overall consistency when it comes to my 3-point shooting. Unfortunately, I’m probably not going to get much taller, so I need to also improve on my vertical and overall strength in the weight room.  </p> <p><strong>PHD: What are your goals for the upcoming season?</strong>  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: First and foremost, getting back to State with a great group of teammates. The Seniors ahead of me are exceptional players, and I’m very lucky to be able to play with them one more year. Personally, I would like to make the All-ESD Team. That’s a big honor for our conference and one so many athletes strive for. </p> <p><strong>PHD: What is your “go-to move”?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: My go-to move is a toss-up between a pull-up jumper and a hesitation. </p> <p><strong>PHD: What is your best basketball memory? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: My best basketball memory would have to be our win in the Sodak 16 against the Rapid City Central Cobblers. We came in as the underdog and left with a spot in the State Tournament. </p> <p><strong>PHD: Can you talk about how the spring/summer went with the Pentagon Schoolers? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: Taylor Fechner put together a very competitive season for us. Our Pentagon Schoolers National team is coached by Buster Vincent, and he is the best at what he does. He led our team to an impressive record of 54-8 over the last two years. My teammates are loaded with talent. In my opinion, they are the best points and bigs in the state. I’m truly blessed to be a part of such an incredible team. </p> <p><strong>PHD: I know that you have had colleges showing interest. Can you talk about how recruiting has been going for you?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I’ve been extremely lucky to have multiple coaches reach out to let me know they are interested or invite me on a visit. The visits have been great, and I really enjoy meeting the coaches on a 1on1 basis. I have always hoped that one day I’ll be fortunate enough to play at the college level while getting my degree.  </p> <p><strong>PHD: What are your long-term goals within the game of basketball? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I would love to play at the next level with a strong and competitive team and go on to coach basketball players myself in the future. </p> <p><strong>PHD: What does Spencer do for fun outside of hoops? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: Outside of hoops, you can usually find me in the weight room or spending time with family and friends. I’m really close with my older brother and try to spend as much time with him as I can. </p> <p><strong>PHD: Which would you rather do, drop a dime or drill a 3-pointer? Why?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I would rather drop a dime because working together as a team is super impressive to watch and be a part of. It’s so fun to hear the crowd get into an awesome pass. </p> <p><strong>PHD: Do you have any family/relatives that played college sports of any kind? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: My brother played football for Northern State University, but he was really the first one in our extended family to go on to play at the collegiate level. </p> <p><strong>PHD: How do you prepare yourself for a game? </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I need to eat something and listen to music that’ll get me hyped up. I also feed off my other teammates during warmups. </p> <p><strong>PHD: What’s your “perfect” pregame meal?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963750" first="Spencer" last="Barr"]: I love a great home-cooked breakfast from eggs to bacon to pancakes. But in all honesty, I’ll eat just about anything and be happy. </p>