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Riley Barker: Killing the Blocks at White Rock

Published by CROWN staff on June 12, 2009

Killing the Blocks at White Rock

They say that defence wins championships. And so, good coaches scour the basketball world, looking for the next big man who can anchor aferocious D. A big man who can do for their team what Mutombo did for Denver or Mourning for Miami. Luckily for White Rock Christian Academy in BC, they have 6’10 Riley Barker making players think twice about taking the rock to the hole.

Riley taking it strong to the hole.

Only 17 years old, Riley is putting up numbers that are turning heads. This past season at White Rock, he put up 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks a game. Add his 7-foot wingspan into the mix, and you can see why Riley is a force to be reckoned with in the paint.

“My strengths are blocking shots, crashing the boards and scoring easy put backs,” Riley tells us. “I am methodical, disciplined on defence, sound fundamentally, and am a motivator. I would compare my game style to Chris “The Bird Man” Andersen’s because we may not be the biggest offensive threats, but we do have a big presence on the defensive end.”

Riley has no shortage of basketball accolades. A First-Team All-Star in the Fraser Valley Basketball Commission, Riley was also recently the MVP of the Surrey RCMP Tournament, and an All-Star at the B.C. Provincials, Yale Tournament, and Legal Beagle Tournament. As a member of the U-15 Provincial team, Riley helped the team finish first at the Canada Westerns. He has also helped White Rock finish 2nd and 4th in their last showings at the B.C. Provincials. Riley says his greatest basketball accomplishment to date, however, is making the U-17 Provincial team.

And now as the NCAA and CIS take notice of this gem out of B.C., Riley quietly continues to work hard and enhance his skills. While working hard on his shooting and agility, he has also been hitting the weights, gaining over 40 pounds of mass this past year! Any colleges that haven’t taken a good look at Riley will definitely be forced to once they see the strides he’s made.

Riley hopes to earn a great D1 scholarship, and eventually play pro in the U.S. or overseas. In the mean time, he’s just focused on becoming one of the best.

“I don’t know if I’m the best pure big man in B.C, but I’m certainly one of the best,” Riley says. “But my goal is to be the best.”

With his defensive game on lock and his ever-improving shot on display, the only thing left for Riley to work on it seems is getting a funky ‘do like The Birdman.

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