Barry banks on unselfish play | Miami Herald

Barry University juniors Adrian Gonzalez and Arie Williams have been so good off the bench the past two years that it’s hurting their chances to be starters.

Gonzalez, a 6-5 small forward from Hialeah Gardens, averaged 8.0 points last season, leading the team with a 60.6 percent in field goals, attacking the rim with ferocity.

Williams, a 5-9 guard from Elgin, Illinois, also averaged 8 points, leading the team in three-point percentage (42.1 percent). All but eight of his field goals were from beyond the arc.

Yet, Butch Estes, who coached the Bucs to a school-record 25-6 record last season, reaching the NCAA Division II South Region semifinals and tying the furthest advance in program history, said he may just keep Gonzalez and Williams in their reserve roles.

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“I’ve never had two players like Adrian and Arie who come in off the bench and immediately light up the scoreboard,” said Estes, who is about to start his 33rd year as a coach, including his third at Barry. “Both of those kids have been consistently dynamic.”

The Bucs graduated three starters from last season —point guard Deric Hill, shooting guard Juan Ferrales and forward Savad Garner. They combined to average 29.9 points, and Hill led the team in steals in assists.

Returning starters are 6-6 senior power forward Yunio Barrueta, a preseason Division II Second-Team All-American who averaged 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds; and 6-1 senior shooting guard Anders Haas, a deadly perimeter shooter who averaged 9.7 points.

The new point guard is 6-0 sophomore Elvar Fridriksson, a native of Iceland and a transfer from LIU-Brooklyn.

“Elvar seems to have a sixth sense of what needs to happen next on the court,” Estes said. “He’s an outstanding passer and very unselfish.”

Look for 6-9, 260-pound senior Tray Leonard to potentially start in the post. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds last season in just 11.6 minutes per game.

He has since lost 30 pounds and is in much better shape to last longer in games.

The fifth starter could be Gonzalez or Williams, but if Estes opts to keep them as firepower off the bench, 6-2 junior wing Undra Mitchem could win a job. A transfer from Jacksonville State, Mitchem plays tenacious defense.

But no matter what Estes decides to do with his starting lineup, he is confident he has complete buy-in from his players.

“Every player in America works to become a starter,” Estes said. “But I think Adrian and Arie are unselfish, and our whole team is that way. That’s a huge part of our success.”