COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL: REGIONAL STARS FILL ROSTER AS EC MEN PREPARE TO START SEASON (2024-11-06)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
The Elmira College men’s basketball team is starting to resemble a regional all-star squad.

The team, which already featured J.J. Babcock and Aaron Lane from just down the road in Athens, and Riley Spencer, who is a former Section 4 standout, has added even more local flare.

Among the new faces is former Troy, Pa. Standout Ty Barrett, who scored nearly 2,000 points in high school before going to Mansfield University. Barrett, a transfer with three years of eligibility, is ready to get to work with some familiar faces.

“I’m really excited,” Barrett said. “I get to play with some guys I already now like J.J. Aaron Lane is up there. Riley Spencer. I think it’s a good shot to work on my game and keep improving.”

Babcock is excited to play with his former high school rival.

“Ty is a special player,” Babock said. “Anytime you get a player of his caliber to your team. He messaged me right way and I thought it would be a great fit for him. We played against each other plenty of times in high shcool. We know what each other is capable of. It’s going to be great to have him on the team.”

Elmira College coach Casey McGraw is excited for all the new faces joining the team, including Ty and former Elmira standout Chris Woodard. Other newcomers include former U-E standout Davian King and Noah Gray of Johnson City.

“I am excited,” McGraw said. “I obviously know the type of player he (Barrett) is. I have seen him and followed him and know what he’s capable of. I am excited. I think it’s a good fit for him. When we had an honest conversation it seemed everything aligns.

“Chris Woodard is coming in from Elmira. Trying to keep the best local kids and keep them local. It’s nice to have him. I think some of that is a credit to guys like J.J. and Riley. Local guys come here and do really well and help build this thing up. They are kind of our recruiters in a lot of ways. It sets a tone that it’s a good place for local players. When we first got here we didn’t have a ton to sell, just a vision. They are a big reason we get guys like Ty. J.J. and Riley know him well. To be able to keep local guys local helps.”

In high school Babcock and Lane were at Athens, matching up against Barrett and the Troy Trojans. For Babcock it’s nice now to have Barrett on his team and not as an opponent.

“It’s going to be good not to have to defend him,” Babcock said. “Giving him some pointers helping him out. I’ll be able to show him who is good on each team. It’s completely different conferences. Give him scouting reports.”

And, for Barrett it’s going to be fun to have Babcock as a teammate.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Barrett said. “It’s going to be nice to actually play with a big man that has length, can play inside and outside. Haven’t had a whole lot of that yet. So, I’m looking forward to it.”

Having someone he already knew on the team at Elmira made the transition to the school easier.

“It’s perfect,” Barrett said. “I reached out to him as soon as I was looking at Elmira. Because, in fact, comfortability gives me a lot of confidence coming into the season.”

At the time when Barrett made the decision to come to Elmira the Soaring Eagles really weren’t looking for anyone else on the roster. But, a scorer like Barrett was too good to pass up.

“Honestly, where we were at with our roster, we probably weren’t going to recruit another kid and Ty kind of came into our lap and we thought this has to be perfect for everyone to work out. I’m excited for them (Babcock and Barrett) to play together.

“I don’t hide from the fact that I’m an offensive minded coach. I’m excited about what he (Barrett) can do. Besides just shooting, I think he gives us an element of play making a little bit. A guy who can create a shot late in the shot clock. Obviously, he shoots the ball really well. It’s nice to have a guy that can do it all three levels.”

For Barrett tit was a tough choices to come leave Mansfield and then where to go was tough to decide, but once he talked to people at Elmira he knew it was the right move.

“It was definitely a tough decision,” Barrett said. “But, honestly after a talk with JJ and coach McGraw it was really an easy decision.

“I talked to a couple people close to me and I was like, ‘yo, I kind of want to look at Elmira as an option,’ and then someone made a call, then I talked to JJ and we made it happen.”

Growing up Babcock and Barrett were always rivals, and now it’s special to team up.

“It’s one of those feelings where you are like you wish you could play with each other in high school,” Babcock said. “Even this right now, we are at Waverly basketball camp (as coaches this summer). We were never allowed to be on the same teams. It would be too easy for us. Now, we are together in college, we have no excuses anymore.”

It’s not just Barrett joining the Soaring Capitals, as the team also will have Woodard joining the program this year.

“A guy like Chris is exactly what we were looking for, and we were lucky he was right in our back yard,” McGraw said. “Strong, physical guy. Has a lot of talent. I think he has a lot of upside. I think when he can just have a couple years and developing every day and being a basketball player, I think he has a really high ceiling.”

Adding a number of players from nearby will only be something that can bring out bigger crowds for games.

“It’s 100% hopefully going to be a factor,” McGraw said. “I know Ty is excited to be able to play close to home. JJ already has a big Athens showing. I know Chris is excited, I know the Elmira High School crowd is going to be excited about him. We are definitely excited as well.”

“I know all the hometown people will be coming out,” Babcock said. “Athens, Troy, Elmira, I’m just looking forward to playing with Ty and Chris and playing with a bunch of of the new guys, see what we can do. We are pretty young. Ty still has an extra year, we will be fine. We will be just fine this year, I’m ready to go.

“It takes a lot of pressure off, knowing what Ty is capable of. I have full confidence in him. I think he has full confidence in me. I’m just ready to get to work.”

For Barrett he learned a lot at Mansfield and is excited to get a chance to play a big role now at Elmira.

“It’s going to be fun, competitive in practice, it’s going to be awesome to have everyone together on the court. I am excited. I feel like I have gone through a lot these last two years. I know I can do a lot. And, some people may be doubting me, but I know all my capabilities and am pretty confident I can make it happen this year.

“Even the year I redshirted (at Mansfield), when I was first there I was taking that as my games. That first month, couple months of the season I was taking every practice like it was a game. It gave me more pace, how to use my body and just overall how to make me a better player.”

For McGraw it’s big for the program to be brining in so many talented players from the area.

“I think if you go through the last couple of years in a 30-mile radius, Chris and JJ and Ty are probably three of the better players to come out of the area,” McGraw said. “To have them at Elmira and bought into what we are building, it’s all about winning and building this. They truly want to help bring more local guys. JJ will text me, it’s really nice to have those guys out looking and helping us. They care and are bought in.

“Honestly so much of that credit needs to go to the players. JJ and Riley (Spencer) being local guys. All the guys have really created that environment. That makes it enjoyable for those local guys to come here and have good guys as teammates. As much as I can have a visitor it has to be the guys who do it. I think the players have really put this program on their shoulders. Those guys are now going to be juniors. That group takes the reins with Aaron Lane, another local guy being the only senior.”

The hopes are high for Elmira now as many of the guys have developed into talented upperclassmen, along with all the new faces.

“I think the entire group has bought in on it,” McGraw said. “I think some of them have been challenged. Look at a guy like Carter (Seeberger) he probably had a disappointing, in his eyes, year and a half and turned it on in the conference tournament. Guys that stuck it out. Luckily I think we have a great place and great people. It’s a great environment and we have learned through some of those growing pains. We knew we weren’t going to win 20 games when JJ and Riley were sophomores, we knew it would take a few years. I like coaching, because I like being around the kids, watching them develop over four years. It’s been really cool to be able to do that with these guys.”
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IN PHOTO: Elmira College’s Ty Barrett. . . PHOTO BY BRIAN FEES.



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