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Evolving as a point guard a continuous process for Sedrick Barefield

2013 adidas Super 64

adidas

Kelly Kline/adidas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - At the end of the July evaluation period, 2015 point guard Sedrick Barefield had established himself as one of the better players in the class at his position. Possessing the ability to both create his own shot and provide for others, Barefield received attention from some of the nation’s premier basketball programs well before July.

But by no means does Barefield’s status mean that he’s done improving. In fact, July was simply the next step in a process that’s been ongoing for quite some time.

The ultimate goal for Barefield, whose team won the 16U division of the adidas Super 64, is one that many young point guards (and their coaches) have: achieving the level of understanding needed in order to have the proper balance between scoring and creating quality opportunities for his teammates.

“For him, he’s so talented, it’s about getting in and figuring out what’s going to be required of him each game,” Compton Magic Select coach A.J. Diggs told NBC Sports in a phone interview Sunday.

“There are going to be some games where he’s needed to score 25 to 30 points, and then there will be games where’s going to need to have eight points and 15 assists. That’s the next step in his development, to just continue to develop his point guard skills across the board.”

Sedrick has some quality sources to receive wisdom from when it comes to developing as a point guard, with both Diggs (Cal) and father Ray (San Diego State) having played at the Division I level.

"[Their playing experience] helps a lot,” noted Sedrick at last weekend’s adidas Super 64. “I get to hear it every day, so I know what have to do and what I have to work on. Now I just have to carry it over into games.”

For some parents, the need to balance offering their own words of wisdom with allowing the coaches to do what they need to do can be tough (or downright impossible). But that isn’t the case for Ray Barefield, who simply tries to allow the coaches to do their jobs without getting in the way.

“Earlier in his life [my experience] was a major influence, with us doing a lot of skill development daily,” noted Ray. “That’s always been there and I’m still helpful with that, but most of the stuff now is situation analysis.

“He has a great high school coach, and the Compton Magic staff does a great job of helping and mentoring him. As far as the game goes I just try to get in his ear little by little, just to help him with the knowledge of the game.”

With that comes the need to develop one’s leadership, and while many will look to point out the negatives that come with grassroots basketball it can also serve as a valuable training ground when it comes to the intangibles. Regardless of the level of basketball, few teams are consistently successful in a chaotic environment.

And as Barefield continues to progress as a point guard, he’ll become even better at knowing the pulse of his team and accomplishing the things his team needs in order to be successful.

“Being more of a leader and getting my teammates involved,” noted Sedrick when asked about the areas he’s looking to improve upon. “Just being a true point guard. You watch the [best] pros and they’re really good leaders, they run their team and they get everyone involved.”

Among the schools Sedrick mentioned when asked about his recruitment were “Kansas State, Boston College, San Diego State, USC, Fresno State, UConn and Michigan.” Rest assured that those schools, and many more, will be interested observers as Barefield looks to further refine his skills as a point guard.

Photo credit: adidas

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