Positives Over Negatives: the basketball life of James Barton (Part 1)
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:22 pm
With his crutches leaning against the wall behind him, James Barton appears on the zoom call with a smile on his face. Wearing his Miami Vice hat and a Guillermo Mafia shirt, James seems encouraged. Duncan Knight, reporter for the Miami Herald and friend of the show, recognizes that Barton is always in a good mood.
DK: Good morning, James. Thank you for taking the time for this interview ahead of the opening round series against the Suns.
JB: Thank you for having me, Duncan. I always enjoy these conversations.
DK: Well let’s get right into it then.
JB: Sounds good. What show are you watching right now?
DK: Wait a minute! I’m supposed to be interviewing you, but since you ask, The Queen’s Gambit is being binged at my house.
Barton has always been the type of person to keep things light-hearted. As a child, he had numerous obstacles to overcome. Born shortly before Christmas in 2007, Barton was 3 weeks pre-mature. He spent the first 8 months of his life in the then named CHRISTUS Health of downtown San Antonio. Overcoming Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as well as undeveloped lungs, James has been a fighter from the start. Many thought that his early medical issues would stunt his growth through the years. The 6’8” guard has proven that wrong.
DK: Stop trying to spotlight me. Let’s get into the good stuff. What was the first thing that made you love basketball?
JB: Well I had no clue that I would grow to this size, so I wasn’t led into a particular sport. Living in the system growing up, we weren’t given much. I remember finding a basketball at the age of 5 while I was roaming the streets one summer. I hid it behind a bush in Brackenridge park, so I could circle back around and pick it up later that night.
James never met his parents. Once his mother gave birth and was discharged, she disappeared. Never to be seen again. His dad was never in the picture. James as a baby was an orphan trying to be placed by his adoption agency. He was ultimately adopted by Blake and Victoria Barton at the age of 13. Shortly thereafter, Blake Barton, who drove semi-trucks for a living, passed away in a brutal accident. With little income and now a new teenager to raise, Victoria Barton had to find some support. James and his mother moved to El Paso with his grandparents. Grieving and dealing with a new environment, James never lost his smile.
DK: How did you stay so positive after your move to El Paso? In every single picture of you, both on and off of the court, you have the biggest smile on your face.
JB: Before my move, I never had adults that I felt loved me. When Blake and Mom adopted me, I finally felt chosen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get to know Blake very well. So even though it was a negative in my life, I had a mom for the first time that I could remember. In San Antonio, I had already run the streets as an orphan. My reputation was a bigger barrier than anything else. Moving to EP let me start new. I had a support system for the first time in my life. The positives far outweighed the negatives in my life.
This idea stuck with Barton from that point. You can see it on his right arm where he has the tattoo “P>N”. He then has countless symbols underneath the letter “P” representing all his blessings. Below the letter “N” is nothing.
He hit his growth spurt early in high school. Going into freshman year, James was a 5’7” boy. He grew half a foot over the summer. The next summer, he grew another seven inches to his 6’8” height. As a young child in San Antonio, he had only a rim against a garage to shoot. Once he got to high school, he was able to take his natural ability and develop his shot even more.
DK: Your first organized basketball was in high school. Your natural athleticism and size made you desirable for a coach even though you had never really played the game before that time.
JB: I was raw. I don’t know why he took the chance with me. I went to a poor school with a lot of great players. I have to thank Coach Tony for giving me a chance. If he doesn’t see potential in me, I am not this person you see today. I would probably never know you, Duncan. How much would that suck?
JB: I had good instincts from day one. That’s why I think that I hid the ball. Always dribbling. Always shooting. Coach showed me technique. He showed me teamwork. As another first in my life, I learned what it means to have support from a team. It’s not an easy concept for a teenage boy to learn. Looking back, I was bad. But I put in the work. My grandparents put a goal in the driveway. I would be out there all day and night just shooting. The noise in the yard went from brick to swish. By the time I entered by junior year of high school, I was the best shooter in the district. I was taller than everyone on that team. Other teams put someone heavier than me to guard me. They bullied me. I could barely get a shot off because I was getting pushed all over the court. Guess what the gift from my grandparents were that summer? A weight bench.
Del Valle high school was ousted from the playoffs in the second round of Barton’s junior year, but he was clearly a star. He won the state three-point contest as a Junior. He was clearly going into his senior year as the best player in his district. If he improved, he could compete as the best in the state, but he wasn’t going to stop there.
DK: You go into your senior year. Still smiling. Highly touted. Tell me about all of those pressures.
JB: I knew that I was good. I knew I wanted to play in college. My mom couldn’t afford to send me to college. I wasn’t trying to be the best. I was trying to be a college student after this year. In my mind, the only way to make that happen was to be better than everyone else I stepped onto the court against. Being All State was not a surprise at the end of my championship run with the Conquistadors. Being named Mr. Texas was the biggest surprise of my basketball life. There was a point guard out in Houston that was fast as lightning. He could shoot, defend, and dribble. I was the better shooter, but his speed. Woof! Peter Randolph was a phenom. I remember playing against him in the semifinals of the state tournament. He was a nightmare. We beat that team by four points. Unfortunately, he got into some trouble his senior year after his mom died. Last time I checked up on him, he straightened out his life. He’s got a beautiful family and is a great dad that is coaching back at his high school.
Randolph’s could have easily been the same story that Barton could have been. Instead of falling into the difficulties of his neighborhood, James stuck to the court. He was the second rated player out of high school. He had offers to play at Duke, Villanova, and Stanford. Ultimately he declined all of those offers for one a little closer to home.
DK: What does it mean to you that you were the #2 rated player out of high school, and what made you choose Oklahoma State?
JB: My confidence was through the roof, but remember, I didn’t think I was the best player in my state. How could I be the second best player in the nation? I guess it’s a good thing I don’t do evaluations. Positives are greater than negatives. I put in the hard work, because I’ve lived so much negative. I’ll always continue to work towards the positives. But the number two recruit. Damn man! I never could’ve imagined! I had new offer coming in almost daily for a full ride. My dream had come true. I am able to choose where I play.
JB: Coach Tony talked to me. My mom talked to me. My grandparents talked to me. A lot of people gave their opinions. Everyone thought I was going to Villanova. My game fit in great at that program. A run and gun team that always has a pass to the open shooter. But nobody factored in what I held important. I grew up without a mom. I would never go that far away from her. Oklahoma State gave me a chance to be a starter, and I was able to be closer to Mom.
The theme remains. Hold close to those positives and never forget them. Barton flashes his smile and appreciation towards his mother with his choice. It’s not a difficult thing to see as important to him.
Join us tomorrow as we release Part 2 of Positives Over Negatives: the basketball life of James Barton.
DK: Good morning, James. Thank you for taking the time for this interview ahead of the opening round series against the Suns.
JB: Thank you for having me, Duncan. I always enjoy these conversations.
DK: Well let’s get right into it then.
JB: Sounds good. What show are you watching right now?
DK: Wait a minute! I’m supposed to be interviewing you, but since you ask, The Queen’s Gambit is being binged at my house.
Barton has always been the type of person to keep things light-hearted. As a child, he had numerous obstacles to overcome. Born shortly before Christmas in 2007, Barton was 3 weeks pre-mature. He spent the first 8 months of his life in the then named CHRISTUS Health of downtown San Antonio. Overcoming Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as well as undeveloped lungs, James has been a fighter from the start. Many thought that his early medical issues would stunt his growth through the years. The 6’8” guard has proven that wrong.
DK: Stop trying to spotlight me. Let’s get into the good stuff. What was the first thing that made you love basketball?
JB: Well I had no clue that I would grow to this size, so I wasn’t led into a particular sport. Living in the system growing up, we weren’t given much. I remember finding a basketball at the age of 5 while I was roaming the streets one summer. I hid it behind a bush in Brackenridge park, so I could circle back around and pick it up later that night.
James never met his parents. Once his mother gave birth and was discharged, she disappeared. Never to be seen again. His dad was never in the picture. James as a baby was an orphan trying to be placed by his adoption agency. He was ultimately adopted by Blake and Victoria Barton at the age of 13. Shortly thereafter, Blake Barton, who drove semi-trucks for a living, passed away in a brutal accident. With little income and now a new teenager to raise, Victoria Barton had to find some support. James and his mother moved to El Paso with his grandparents. Grieving and dealing with a new environment, James never lost his smile.
DK: How did you stay so positive after your move to El Paso? In every single picture of you, both on and off of the court, you have the biggest smile on your face.
JB: Before my move, I never had adults that I felt loved me. When Blake and Mom adopted me, I finally felt chosen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get to know Blake very well. So even though it was a negative in my life, I had a mom for the first time that I could remember. In San Antonio, I had already run the streets as an orphan. My reputation was a bigger barrier than anything else. Moving to EP let me start new. I had a support system for the first time in my life. The positives far outweighed the negatives in my life.
This idea stuck with Barton from that point. You can see it on his right arm where he has the tattoo “P>N”. He then has countless symbols underneath the letter “P” representing all his blessings. Below the letter “N” is nothing.
He hit his growth spurt early in high school. Going into freshman year, James was a 5’7” boy. He grew half a foot over the summer. The next summer, he grew another seven inches to his 6’8” height. As a young child in San Antonio, he had only a rim against a garage to shoot. Once he got to high school, he was able to take his natural ability and develop his shot even more.
DK: Your first organized basketball was in high school. Your natural athleticism and size made you desirable for a coach even though you had never really played the game before that time.
JB: I was raw. I don’t know why he took the chance with me. I went to a poor school with a lot of great players. I have to thank Coach Tony for giving me a chance. If he doesn’t see potential in me, I am not this person you see today. I would probably never know you, Duncan. How much would that suck?
JB: I had good instincts from day one. That’s why I think that I hid the ball. Always dribbling. Always shooting. Coach showed me technique. He showed me teamwork. As another first in my life, I learned what it means to have support from a team. It’s not an easy concept for a teenage boy to learn. Looking back, I was bad. But I put in the work. My grandparents put a goal in the driveway. I would be out there all day and night just shooting. The noise in the yard went from brick to swish. By the time I entered by junior year of high school, I was the best shooter in the district. I was taller than everyone on that team. Other teams put someone heavier than me to guard me. They bullied me. I could barely get a shot off because I was getting pushed all over the court. Guess what the gift from my grandparents were that summer? A weight bench.
Del Valle high school was ousted from the playoffs in the second round of Barton’s junior year, but he was clearly a star. He won the state three-point contest as a Junior. He was clearly going into his senior year as the best player in his district. If he improved, he could compete as the best in the state, but he wasn’t going to stop there.
DK: You go into your senior year. Still smiling. Highly touted. Tell me about all of those pressures.
JB: I knew that I was good. I knew I wanted to play in college. My mom couldn’t afford to send me to college. I wasn’t trying to be the best. I was trying to be a college student after this year. In my mind, the only way to make that happen was to be better than everyone else I stepped onto the court against. Being All State was not a surprise at the end of my championship run with the Conquistadors. Being named Mr. Texas was the biggest surprise of my basketball life. There was a point guard out in Houston that was fast as lightning. He could shoot, defend, and dribble. I was the better shooter, but his speed. Woof! Peter Randolph was a phenom. I remember playing against him in the semifinals of the state tournament. He was a nightmare. We beat that team by four points. Unfortunately, he got into some trouble his senior year after his mom died. Last time I checked up on him, he straightened out his life. He’s got a beautiful family and is a great dad that is coaching back at his high school.
Randolph’s could have easily been the same story that Barton could have been. Instead of falling into the difficulties of his neighborhood, James stuck to the court. He was the second rated player out of high school. He had offers to play at Duke, Villanova, and Stanford. Ultimately he declined all of those offers for one a little closer to home.
DK: What does it mean to you that you were the #2 rated player out of high school, and what made you choose Oklahoma State?
JB: My confidence was through the roof, but remember, I didn’t think I was the best player in my state. How could I be the second best player in the nation? I guess it’s a good thing I don’t do evaluations. Positives are greater than negatives. I put in the hard work, because I’ve lived so much negative. I’ll always continue to work towards the positives. But the number two recruit. Damn man! I never could’ve imagined! I had new offer coming in almost daily for a full ride. My dream had come true. I am able to choose where I play.
JB: Coach Tony talked to me. My mom talked to me. My grandparents talked to me. A lot of people gave their opinions. Everyone thought I was going to Villanova. My game fit in great at that program. A run and gun team that always has a pass to the open shooter. But nobody factored in what I held important. I grew up without a mom. I would never go that far away from her. Oklahoma State gave me a chance to be a starter, and I was able to be closer to Mom.
The theme remains. Hold close to those positives and never forget them. Barton flashes his smile and appreciation towards his mother with his choice. It’s not a difficult thing to see as important to him.
Join us tomorrow as we release Part 2 of Positives Over Negatives: the basketball life of James Barton.