Like most first-year players, Taron Barker struggled the first few days of basketball practice.

        The University of Cincinnati junior point guard was tentative and uncomfortable. But as the first week of practice wore on, he became more confident.

        “I calmed down a lot,” Barker said. “I feel a whole lot better.”

        “He's stepped it up in terms of aggressiveness,” UC assistant coach Dan Peters said. “He's stepped it up as much as anybody. The first few days, he was afraid to make mistakes. Here, you're going to make mistakes. It's not about making mistakes, it's about hustling and playing hard and playing through them.”

        Barker and senior Steve Logan are UC's only true point guards. Whether the 6-foot, 200-pound Barker comes off the bench or starts, he should help the Bearcats' backcourt depth and contribute right away.

        The question is: How much? “I like what I see,” Logan said. “I think he's a competitor, and I always love to play with a competitor. I think he did a terrific job the first week of practice going hard and pushing himself.”

        Barker, who came to UC from Odessa (Texas) College, looks to push the basketball upcourt with his head up and distribute the ball; scoring comes second.

        Still, he will have to hit open shots. That's one reason he is frequently one of the first players in Shoemaker Center before practice and also stays late to shoot jumpers.

        Assistant coach Keith LeGree said Barker is working on getting rid of a “hitch” in his shot.

        “He's shooting while he's coming down instead of while he's going up,” LeGree said. “He's just trying to stop the hitch.

        “I think when it comes down to him playing his role, he's going to be able to guard people, he's going to be able to come in and knock down more shots than a lot of people think, and he steps to the line and knocks down free throws.”

        Barker, who averaged 12.8 points, 6.7 assists and 3.3 steals as a sophomore at Odessa, made his recruiting visit to Cincinnati last spring after the season. He had never seen a UC practice and could only anticipate what it would be like.

        He had never gone longer than 2 1/2 hours, and even that was rare; UC practices at least three hours a day. Barker also never went against someone as good as Logan day in and day out.

        NOTE:

        Senior Immanuel McElroy, who last week suffered a stress fracture in his left foot, was cleared to work out Monday on a limited basis but said, “I did basically everything except run after practice.”

Louisville looms as worthy rival Week's work does wonders for Barker

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