Rowan Barrett Jr is Climbing the Ladder

The tale of Rowan Barrett Jr continues.

RJ is the youngest player on the Montverde Eagles–arguably the #1 team in America.

Yet, Barrett’s youth holds little weight when it comes to his production.

In his first year as an Eagle, the 2019 guard has worked his way up the Montverde pecking order, previously playing on their developmental roster.

But it didn’t take long before he took centre stage.

“I’m just trying to climb the ladder,” Jr told NPH in a brief post-game chat, as cameras surrounded him.

In game one of the City of Palms Classic, Montverde Head Coach Kevin Boyle did a masterful job of rotating his loaded roster throughout the course of the game.

That said, when it came down to stopping a run from the opposition or closing out the game, RJ was left on the floor.

The Canadian phenom would end up leading the Eagles in points, rebounds and assists, recording 16 points, 6 rebounds, five assists and two steals, while putting on a dunk fest in the process, against Spain Park.

Think about that for a second–this kid finds himself all across the stat sheet among the most elite talent in America–but what’s more impressive is that he does it within himself, without forcing shots and within the flow of the game.

Defense to offense, transition dunks, put backs.

After watching him at St Marcellinus last year, where he was more ball dominant, it has been impressive to see Barrett in this environment, just as effective with less touches.

RJ’s understanding of the game is advanced, and so are his physical capabilities. He can play 1-3 and defend those positions.

I spoke with several U.S media members today, wondering if there is a better 2019 prospect out there–a couple names came up, but none could definitively say they were better or had more upside than RJ.

Much like Andrew Wiggins, RJ’s ascension has and will continue to take off as an underclassmen.

In the meantime, he will continue climbing the ladder.