Playing bigger than his 6-foot-5 frame is something Kentrell Barkley does not need to be told to do.
Throughout his outstanding high school career at Northern Durham, Barkley was an above-average rebounder, grabbing 11.6 boards per game his senior season. In most of those games, Barkley was probably one of the tallest players on the floor so, by proximity to the rim alone, he had a built-in advantage corralling missed shots.
Eleven games into his freshman season at East Carolina — where seven players on his team are taller than he is — Barkley’s ability to crash the boards still stands out.