Kori Ellis
01-18-2005, 04:06 AM
Buck Harvey: Daddy dearer? The Barrys in the next generation
Web Posted: 01/18/2005 12:00 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA011805.1D.COL.BKNharvey.1b295119.html
San Antonio Express-News
Brent Barry was the son they said was most like his father. He shot free throws underhanded, wore No. 24, used wristbands. He, too, could be a pain.
Now?
Barry learned from his father, all right.
Their relationship is an old story, and it's one the Barrys likely are tired of seeing rehashed. But the story can be funny, too, as it was when Rick Barry played for the Rockets in the late '70s.
Management brought in a hypnotist to get the team out of a slump, and the hypnotist told the players to close their eyes. Put all the negative thoughts in a bag, he told them, and then throw away the bag.
After a few moments Billy Paultz broke the silence. "Awww," the onetime Spur said, opening his eyes and pointing to Barry, "he's still here."
That's the rep of Rick. His talent overwhelmed almost as much as his brazen personality did, and there are signs he hasn't changed entirely. A friend who works with Rick says he likes him but admits, "Rick has a hard time seeing anything past himself."
Brent joked Monday about his father's selfish image, too, when asked about his passing. "He was a heckuva passer," Brent said, smiling, "but guys who played with him would tell you he didn't pass enough."
Rick, after the game, came across well. He was engaging and friendly, even showing a hint of humility. He also talked quickly, just like the sports-talk host he is. He lives in Colorado but is on the air for a Bay Area radio station. He worked Monday, too, from remote in San Antonio, which is why he was late for one of his son's two starts this season.
Fitting. Rick's life always seemed to get in the way.
Rick has four sons, and three of them have ended up with NBA careers. The genes of a Hall of Famer helped, as did access. All four worked as ball boys when Rick played for Golden State, and the boys often played around on the floor with various Warriors.
Then it ended as abruptly as a final horn. Rick left the boys' mother in 1979 and had little contact with his sons. According to a Sports Illustrated article from the previous decade entitled "Daddy Dearest," the boys credit their grandfather, not Rick, for teaching them the game.
Rick repeatedly has condemned the article, and there has been protest from the family, too. But there was likely the splintering and pain that happens in many divorced families, and the splintering included Brent. "I wish he could set some time aside just to spend with us," Sports Illustrated quoted Brent saying then. "If he's here, it's because of his schedule."
Brent was the one, according to his brothers in the article, who pulled away from their father the least. The magazine quoted one of the brothers, Drew, as saying Brent was different than the rest, that he liked being Rick Barry's son, and Drew mentioned the underhand free throws and the No. 24 and the wristbands.
Drew also said: "Brent's got a horrible attitude. You can't tell him anything. I'm sure he and my dad are the closest."
Brent was a sophomore at Oregon State when this article came out, and a few things have changed since. For one, he now shoots free throws overhand, albeit nearly as accurately as his dad once did.
He wears a different number, too, and without wristbands. As for his attitude: There isn't a better teammate in the Spurs' locker room.
The only one Brent is hard on is himself. He's helped fill the Kerr-Ferry void, the one who has been around and knows what matters. He's hung with Beno Udrih, for example, as if Brent gravitates to those who might need some veteran guidance.
Did dad teach his son how not to be? Brent scored his season high Monday while starting in place of Manu Ginobili, then didn't play along afterward when asked if he wouldn't mind if Ginobili missed another game.
"No one can replace Manu," Barry said.
Standing nearby, as proud as he was the opposite, was dad. Asked about their relationship, Brent said, "We're working on it."
They've got help. The two left the arena as they once did when Rick was the star, only this time with company.
Brent's son and Rick's grandson. Four-year-old son, Quin.
Web Posted: 01/18/2005 12:00 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA011805.1D.COL.BKNharvey.1b295119.html
San Antonio Express-News
Brent Barry was the son they said was most like his father. He shot free throws underhanded, wore No. 24, used wristbands. He, too, could be a pain.
Now?
Barry learned from his father, all right.
Their relationship is an old story, and it's one the Barrys likely are tired of seeing rehashed. But the story can be funny, too, as it was when Rick Barry played for the Rockets in the late '70s.
Management brought in a hypnotist to get the team out of a slump, and the hypnotist told the players to close their eyes. Put all the negative thoughts in a bag, he told them, and then throw away the bag.
After a few moments Billy Paultz broke the silence. "Awww," the onetime Spur said, opening his eyes and pointing to Barry, "he's still here."
That's the rep of Rick. His talent overwhelmed almost as much as his brazen personality did, and there are signs he hasn't changed entirely. A friend who works with Rick says he likes him but admits, "Rick has a hard time seeing anything past himself."
Brent joked Monday about his father's selfish image, too, when asked about his passing. "He was a heckuva passer," Brent said, smiling, "but guys who played with him would tell you he didn't pass enough."
Rick, after the game, came across well. He was engaging and friendly, even showing a hint of humility. He also talked quickly, just like the sports-talk host he is. He lives in Colorado but is on the air for a Bay Area radio station. He worked Monday, too, from remote in San Antonio, which is why he was late for one of his son's two starts this season.
Fitting. Rick's life always seemed to get in the way.
Rick has four sons, and three of them have ended up with NBA careers. The genes of a Hall of Famer helped, as did access. All four worked as ball boys when Rick played for Golden State, and the boys often played around on the floor with various Warriors.
Then it ended as abruptly as a final horn. Rick left the boys' mother in 1979 and had little contact with his sons. According to a Sports Illustrated article from the previous decade entitled "Daddy Dearest," the boys credit their grandfather, not Rick, for teaching them the game.
Rick repeatedly has condemned the article, and there has been protest from the family, too. But there was likely the splintering and pain that happens in many divorced families, and the splintering included Brent. "I wish he could set some time aside just to spend with us," Sports Illustrated quoted Brent saying then. "If he's here, it's because of his schedule."
Brent was the one, according to his brothers in the article, who pulled away from their father the least. The magazine quoted one of the brothers, Drew, as saying Brent was different than the rest, that he liked being Rick Barry's son, and Drew mentioned the underhand free throws and the No. 24 and the wristbands.
Drew also said: "Brent's got a horrible attitude. You can't tell him anything. I'm sure he and my dad are the closest."
Brent was a sophomore at Oregon State when this article came out, and a few things have changed since. For one, he now shoots free throws overhand, albeit nearly as accurately as his dad once did.
He wears a different number, too, and without wristbands. As for his attitude: There isn't a better teammate in the Spurs' locker room.
The only one Brent is hard on is himself. He's helped fill the Kerr-Ferry void, the one who has been around and knows what matters. He's hung with Beno Udrih, for example, as if Brent gravitates to those who might need some veteran guidance.
Did dad teach his son how not to be? Brent scored his season high Monday while starting in place of Manu Ginobili, then didn't play along afterward when asked if he wouldn't mind if Ginobili missed another game.
"No one can replace Manu," Barry said.
Standing nearby, as proud as he was the opposite, was dad. Asked about their relationship, Brent said, "We're working on it."
They've got help. The two left the arena as they once did when Rick was the star, only this time with company.
Brent's son and Rick's grandson. Four-year-old son, Quin.