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| DeAndre Barnette |
DeAndre Barnette was a basketball novice just four years ago.
But the 6-foot-4 Jackson (Tenn.) Liberty senior guard solidified his future as a Division I basketball player on Monday as he made a verbal commitment to Northern Illinois.
Barnette is the second Class of 2011 prospect to commit to the Huskies, joining Glenbard East point guard Zach Miller. Barnette and his father, Jerrith, toured the NIU campus on Sunday after receiving an offer from Huskies coach Ricardo Patton.
“I just felt like it was a great school,” DeAndre said. “When I went down there I immediately fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff. They have a plan for me. I just felt it’s a good situation.”
DeAndre earned Scholastic All-America honors with a 3.2 grade-point average and had interest from several Ivy League schools, including Yale, Columbia and Princeton. He also had scholarship offers from Belmont, Jacksonville (N.C.) University and Wingate.
But the Huskies newest commit wants to major in biomedical engineering and thought NIU was the best fit.
“NIU has one of the best engineering programs in the midwest,” Jerrith said. “That pretty much sealed the deal when we toured the engineering buildings.”
DeAndre said DeKalb’s proximity to Chicago reminded him of the short drive from Jackson to Memphis.
“Its just a nice, cozy place to be in,” DeAndre said.
DeAndre is known for his superb outside shooting and length.
“I think it’s going to be a good fit there,” Jerrith said, “and he’ll have an opportunity to come in and earn some playing time.”
NIU took notice of DeAndre during Liberty’s run to the Tennessee state 2A basketball tournament championship game in March. DeAndre was named to the all-tournament team as the Crusaders took second place.
DeAndre didn’t take an interest in basketball, outside of playing on the playground, until he was in junior high. His father said he’d help him improve under one condition: give it all or don’t do it at all.
“We went full steam ahead with it,” said Jerrith, who started an AAU team when the family lived in Oklahoma City. “We went to the gym at every opportunity he had.
“I’m probably his worst critic. He hasn’t played ball for a very long time, but that’s a testament to what he’s done over the years.
“This is the big pay off, sort of speak, for all the hard work and dedication he’s put in over a short period of time. I have no doubt that over the next four years, he’ll be twice as good as he is now.”
