Barlow 'excited in weird way' to wear Gold and Black again
Related: Lewis Jackson glad Men of Mackey have increased Boilermaker flavor | GM Ryan Kay assembles Men of Mackey
Forever marching to the beat of his own drum, Kelsey Barlow hopes to make an impact on the Men of Mackey team. When GM Ryan Kay reached out to Barlow on Instagram, it didn't take Barlow long to decide he wanted to be part of the squad.
"On a personal level, it will be pretty, pretty exciting," Barlow said earlier this week from his home in Key Largo, Fla. "In a weird way. It's like a dream come true. Right?"
And Kelsey has had this dream for much of the last nine years.
When Barlow was unceremoniously removed from Purdue's team and the University back in 2012, it was always a hope for him that things would come back for him full circle.
"When I got kicked out of Purdue, I had dreams that I would be asked to come back to the team," Barlow said. "And in those dreams, it was like, Coach Painter would ask me to come back and I would always say 'Alright, let's do it.'
"Obviously, we have grown from that time, and I don't have any eligibility to return to Coach Painter's team. But now, in a way, it's kind of like that dream is coming to fruition."
And Barlow's got game.
Plenty of it.
Playing in Argentina this past year, Barlow averaged over 18 points and put up 48 in a game (see YouTube video below). Since his final college season at the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2013-14, Barlow has played professionally in France, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece in addition to the CBA. Barlow loves competition as much as he ever has.
"I'm still a kid at heart," said Barlow, who started 40 of 93 games he appeared in as a Boilermaker. "So, as much as I can get outside and compete and play, most of the time I'm down for it.
"I really don't like playing open gym with too many professionals in the summer because it tends to be like this ego contest. TBT is a unique setting, with local fans and actual referees and stuff. I think it should be really fun."
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Barlow is quick to compliment the training he received at Purdue under Painter. He thinks that bodes well for the No. 8 seed Men of Mackey when they begin play against the No. 9 (Tennessee) Ballinteers in the 64-team tournament. It all starts July 23 in Columbus, Ohio.
"Anyone who's played under coach Painter likes to go out there and win and compete and give their best for the team," Barlow says. "I just want to give my best to the team and see if I could help guys get open. I think I can control the pace a little bit, too. So, we'll see how it goes. I haven't played in the States for a while, so that will be interesting."
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Barlow watched the Men of Mackey in the two games it played in last year's Covid-19 influenced TBT event and left with one primary impression.
"I watched last year and truly the most impressive thing I saw was Ryne Smith," Barlow said. "It was like, damn, I mean, Ryne Smith's demeanor as a coach is impressive. I have been though a lot of coaches, and he is impressive."
Barlow says he is still trying to talk long-time friend JaJuan Johnson into playing, but understands that the former Boilermaker All-American forward/center is coming off a long season. Barlow's international season ended in April, but Johnson's concluded much more recently.
"I am sending him a message that we would love to have him play," Barlow said. "But I understand why that isn't going to happen."
Barlow likes the team's chances to make a run into the second weekend (July 31-August 3) of TBT.
"We have a really competitive team," Barlow said. "We get three or four days of practice before starting play, so how quick we can blend will be the determining factor as to how far we can go."
Until then, Barlow is poised to enjoy the experience of playing in a Gold and Black uniform once again. After that?
"I feel like I am living like the wind blows," Barlow said.
For Barlow, it's the lifestyle he knows best.
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