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2014 small forward Jordan Barnett generating buzz in the EYBL

FRISCO, Tx. -- After the St. Louis Eagles lost on Friday night to the Jackson Tigers in the opening night of the EYBL Dallas Session they didn’t slump off the court and hang their heads. Well, they did, but they didn’t have much time to stand and sulk as they were quickly summoned to the baseline to run a few sprints for their lackluster effort.

Then former Eagles’ alum and NBA veteran Larry Hughes spoke to the group after the loss.

“I’m here if you have questions; use me as a resource,” a prideful Hughes said to the Eagles as they begin to pick their heads up again.

Jordan Barnett, one of the Eagles’ highest-regard prospects, is having a solid spring on the wing and the 6-7 small forward is generating a lot of recruiting buzz, so having an NBA veteran like Hughes speak to the Eagles was important to him.

“It’s a huge deal, he’s one of the alumni from the Eagles and he made it to The League so that’s where we want to be,” Barnett said. “He had some really important and good stuff to say to us and we have to follow his advice. It’s a privilege to have someone of that caliber talking to us.”

While it’s nice to have NBA vets like Hughes drop by to show support, Barnett has been showing signs of being the next high-profile wing from St. Louis as he’s been putting up solid numbers in the EYBL. Barnett is currently rated as the 83rd best prospect in the 2014 class by Rivals and was averaging 12.8 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 39% from the three-point line through the first two sessions.

“It’s honestly been a privilege playing this competition. You can only get better and learn from playing in this environment,” Barnett said of the EYBL. “It somewhat humbles you as a player because you’re going to some good games and have some great games and have some bad games and have some terrible games; it’s just apart of the learning process and so it’s a privilege to come out here and play.”

Barnett claimed scholarship offers from Missouri, Harvard, Stanford Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Saint Louis, Michigan State, Texas, Michigan, Iowa and Florida. He also has been hearing from one school that has yet to offer but showed some interest in North Carolina.

“North Carolina is pretty much the only one (with interest and no offer,” Barnett said. “They call every once and awhile and they send a text and tell me they’re going to come out and watch me. It’s not really that big at the moment but they tell me they’re interested so we’ll see what happens with that.”

Scott also writes for NY2LA Sports and can be followed on Twitter @sphillipshoops