Some college basketball players move from school to school because of academic troubles. Others because they can’t stay out of trouble off the court.
Billy Baron keeps moving out of loyalty to his dad.
Baron, a shooting guard, played one semester at the University of Virginia before bolting to Rhode Island, where his father Jim Baron was struggling to keep his job. He played pretty well as a Ram, starting 14 games and averaging 13 points and 2.6 assists per game. It wasn’t enough. The Rams lost 24 games and missed the NCAA tournament for the 13th straight year (11 of which were played under Jim Baron), leading to the coach’s dismissal.
The elder Baron landed on his feet, taking over as head coach of the MAAC’s Canisius Golden Griffins in late April. Today, he announced that his youngest son Billy will once again join him. In addition, the NCAA granted the younger Baron a waiver, allowing him to begin his final two seasons of eligibility immediately.
For both Barons, it may be a case of ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’, as the Griffs lost 25 games last season, and don’t have anywhere near the recruiting clout an A-10 school can offer. A career path from the ACC to the A-10 to the MAAC isn’t exactly a player’s dream, either. Still, Billy Baron has high-major talent, and his dad will have that going for him as he tries to build Canisius back into an auto-bid contender.