Former college basketball star Mike Babul died Monday of a heart attack at the age of 47. Legendary members of the community are grieving.
Mike Babul earns All-Conference, Gatorade Player of the Year and MHSCA Player of the Year honors
At the time of his death, Barbour was the head coach of Thayer College's men's team, coach and owner of Hoop Work, a year-round basketball camp for boys and girls in New England.
“Barbour was a true UMass basketball legend on the court, an active role in the community and in numerous coaching roles off the court,” UMass said in a statement.
A native of North Attleboro, Mike and his twin brother Jon Barbour played four years together at North Attleboro High School, the first under their father Mike Sr. Then there's Don Johnson. The Barbour twins were coached by Johnson as sophomores, juniors and seniors.
We mourn the passing of UMass alumnus Mike Barbour.
Barbour was a true Massachusetts basketball legend on the court, playing an active role in the community and serving as a coach in numerous roles off the court #flagship🚩 pic.twitter.com/vF9ZO1HdzS
— UMass Men’s Basketball (@UMassMBB) December 31, 2024
A 6-foot-6 forward, Mike Babul was recognized as an outstanding high school basketball player during his senior year, when he averaged 20.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Barbour earned All-Conference, Gatorade Player of the Year and Massachusetts High School Coaches Association Player of the Year honors. He was also named to Parade Magazine's Top 40 All-Americans.
“His attributes as a basketball player are obvious to everyone, but what we do know is he's a great person,” Johnson told boston globe in a recent interview.
“Great teammates. They are the most famous players to ever play in North Attleboro and the most humble kids and the most selfless players. If we had kept them, they would have probably scored 2,000 points and they didn't care about numbers. , only cares about the team, which speaks volumes about the kind of person he is.
Barbour was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team for three consecutive seasons at UMass.
Mike Babul went on to play for coach Bruiser Flint at UMass for four years (1996-2000) after being recruited by coach John Calipari. He was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team and All-Academic Team three times. He was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team for three consecutive seasons (1998-2000).
In 120 career NCAA games (100 starts), he averaged 22.7 minutes per game, 3.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, shooting 44.3% from the field and 48.2% from the free throw line.
After his playing career ended, Barbour began his coaching career in 2002 at Seekonk High School. S-El Paso, Auburn and Wagner held multiple positions.
Mike Bubble is home.
Babul was a member of the UM Class of 2000 and was a three-time All-A-10 defensive team member.
His highlight reel against Paul Pierce in '97. Pierce shot .513 (97-98) that season, but Bubble and UM's D held him to .357 (5-14) that night. pic.twitter.com/QtIfykbT3X— UMassHoops.com (@UMassHoops_com) June 13, 2023
Mike Babul served under Calipari in Memphis. In 2015, he was named the associate head coach at Wagner and remained with the program until 2019, when he became an assistant coach with the Long Island Nets, the Brooklyn Nets' NBA G League affiliate, where he remained until 2020.
In addition, Barbour is the director of the Metro West Swarm AAU basketball program in Mansfield. He and Jon also host the annual Barbour Brothers Basketball Camp in their hometown.
Jon played at Georgia Tech and now plays for the Atlanta Hawks as Vice President of Basketball Development. Mike Barbour is survived by his fiancée, Maria;
Source link
