Canyon Barry won the SEC Sixth Man of the Year Award in his only season with Florida basketball while pursuing a degree in nuclear engineering as a graduate transfer.
Barry, 30, continues to play basketball in other formats after pursuing a professional basketball career overseas and in the G League.
Barry was named to USA Basketball's 3-on-3 Men's Olympic Team in late March, but the 6-foot-6 former Florida Gator swingman has excelled since first joining the national program in 2019. That's not surprising considering what we've accomplished. -on-3 Team members include athletes who won gold at the 2019 Amsterdam World Cup, silver at the 2023 Vienna World Cup, and gold at last year's Pan American Games in Chile.
During that time, Barry literally became a world traveler, traveling to 16 countries in South America, Europe and Asia while juggling his full-time job as an engineer at L3Harris in Melbourne.
“Growing up in Colorado Springs, home of the Olympic Training Center, I saw firsthand how amazing it is to be an Olympic athlete and what a truly life-changing experience it is.” Barry said. “Just to have the honor of representing your country, that's what you live for. I've definitely worked hard for that for a long time, and for that goal to finally come true means the world to me. Masu.”
How former Florida basketball player Canyon Barry got involved in 3-on-3 basketball
Barry comes from a basketball pedigree. His father, Rick Barry, is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who scored 25,279 points in a 15-year NBA/ABA career and won the NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 1975. His mother, Lynn Nollenberg Barry, was a former women's college basketball standout at William & Mary, where she earned All-American academic honors while setting 11 school records.
Lynn Barry served as USA Basketball's deputy executive director from 1985 to 1996 and still had ties to the organization. At a 2019 Final Four networking event, USA Basketball 3-on-3 team director Jay Demings asked Lynn Barry if his son would be interested in trying out for the team. Demings thought Barry would be a good fit for the team.
“I jumped on the phone with him and was invited to try out for USA Basketball 3-on-3 in 2019,” Barry said. “We played in the national tournament with a lot of other G League players and from there we were selected to the World Cup team.”
Why former Florida basketball player Canyon Barry is so good at 3-on-3 basketball
The 3v3 format is played based on FIBA rules and differs from 5v5 games in many ways. It was first announced as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The game will be played outdoors on a half-court with a 14-second shot clock and a 10-minute game clock. The court measures 49 feet wide and 36 feet deep, with a free throw line of 19 feet and a two-point line of 22 feet.
Teams must clear the 2-point line after a miss and maintain possession of the ball after making a shot, similar to a traditional half-court pickup game. Each basket is worth one point, and beyond the 22-foot arc is worth two points. The first he wins is the team that scores 21 points, or the team that maintains the lead at the end of 10 minutes.
“You have to be really savvy because there’s no place to hide,” Barry said. “You have to be involved in every possession on the court. You have to be a fundamental player who is proficient in all aspects of basketball. That's why I think it translates so well to my game.”
The game is also physical, given the limited dimensions of the court.
“The NBA was about freedom of movement,” Barry said. “I would call 3-on-3 against freedom of movement. It's like you're fighting to get open and get a shot. So it's definitely an adjustment and it's fun to watch, If you like watching basketball, you'll really enjoy it by comparison. ”
In 2022, Barry averaged 6.8 points in five games to win the gold medal and be named MVP of the U.S. 3-on-3 Men's American Cup. In 2023, Barry averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds for the U.S. World Cup team.
“One of the keys to being a 3-on-3 player is versatility, and Canyon is the most versatile player so far,” said Team USA 3-on-3 head coach Joe Lewandowski. “He can guard multiple positions, he can score inside and obviously he can score from the perimeter. Canyon can do all of those things.”
What are the chances that Team USA will win the gold medal?
Team USA just returned from the World Cup tour opener in Japan at the end of April, where Barry led the team to a tournament victory.
Barry's teammates on Team USA include familiar names such as former BYU standout guard Jimmer Fredette, former Princeton forward Kareem Maddox, and former Florida Southern College guard Dylan Travis. include.
“One of our Olympians, Kareem Maddox, actually had a little strain in his calf, so we had a replacement,” Barry said. “I think it bodes well that we were able to go into that tournament and win even though we had a replacement come in on short notice and have been able to adapt to our system.”
Barry is hopeful that all four players will play together throughout the 2023 season and do well in Paris. The 2024 Olympics are scheduled for July 26th to August. The 3-on-3 basketball tournament is scheduled from July 30th to August 11th. Number 5 is Place de la Concorde.
However, all four players live in different cities, making it difficult to maintain chemistry.
“I'm in Florida, Jimmer is in Denver, Kareem is in Minnesota, Dylan is in Omaha,” Barry said. “Compared to other teams who live in the same city and train and practice together every day, one of the challenges for our team is scheduling training camps and sometimes meeting in Miami. Sometimes we meet in Colorado Springs, sometimes in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the coach is based, but we do whatever we can to make it a success. ”
Another challenge for Barry is juggling basketball with his full-time job as an engineer in Melbourne.
“I'm really grateful to LP Harris as a company because they allowed me to pursue my Olympic dreams and were really supportive of scheduling and working remotely,” Barry said. “I have been on conference calls at 3am in Mongolia to make this dream a reality. The support from my job has allowed me to continue pursuing this dream, and I am juggling two full-time jobs. I’m definitely busy.”
How does Canyon Barry look back on his time as a Florida basketball player?
Barry, a transfer from the College of Charleston, averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his lone season at the University of Florida in 2016-17, leading the University to the Elite Eight. He came up with a clutch shot block in UF's 84-83 Sweet 16 win over Wisconsin, clinching the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Chris Chiozza.
“I had a great experience at Florida, making it to the Elite Eight and playing in a deep tournament, so I'm really grateful,” Barry said.
Barry said he still keeps in touch with his former college team manager and former walk-on center Skyler Rimmer. He also ran into Casey Hill, another former college teammate, at Florida Atlantic University earlier this week.
If Barry suits up in Paris, he will hold the distinction of being the first former Florida basketball player to compete in the Olympics.
“All over the world, if you wear anything Florida, you get a ‘Go Gators,’” Barry said. “So I'm really happy to have the experience of playing in college. And you know, I'm always rooting for them.”
Kevin Brockway is a beat writer for the Gainesville Sun Florida newspaper. Please contact us at KBrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinBrockwayG1