Former Chiefs Standout to Play for Rams and Philly Legend Herb McGee
PISCATAWAY, NJ—On Thursday afternoon, GMC Hoops learned via the New Jersey Panthers AAU that one of its former players, Tyree Barba-Bey, who was a varsity basketball standout at Piscataway High School, has committed to attend Thomas Jefferson University of Philadelphia this coming fall. Barba-Bey, who helped guide the Chiefs to the 2019 GMCT Final before losing to St. Joseph’s (49-46), recently finished a year of post-graduate hoops at Olympus Prep in West Berlin, New Jersey.
Olympus Prep, which competes in the Great Atlantic Conference with schools such as Mt. Zion Prep (MD), Patrick School National, Perkiomen School (PA) Scotland Campus (PA), West Nottingham Academy (MD), and Phelps School (joining next year), consists of an AAU team, a high school team, and two post-graduate teams. The Post-Graduate schools from Olympus Prep performed well in the Great Atlantic Conference with the Black Team reaching the finals of the Bronze Division and the Red Team reaching the finals of the Silver Division according to the schools twitter feed.
Barba-Bey earned post-season honors this past season for Olympus Prep by making 2nd Team All-State Prep. One of his top performances came during the Great Atlantic Conference’s first session, hosted by Olympus Prep on December 5, 2019. In a game, where the Archers trailed Perkiomen by seven at the half, and lost 70-59 to the 11th ranked team in the Prep Scene’s Super 25, Barba-Bey scored 16 points while also contributing in a variety of other ways as well. Olympus Prep also competed in showcases such as the MLK Showcase at Burlington Township High School, and the Holy Cross Invitational.
Prior to ending up at Olympus Prep this past season, Barba-Bey played three years of varsity basketball at Piscataway, where he helped the Chiefs make their first GMCT Elite Eight appearance in five years in the 2017 GMCT, and then after losing to Colonia in the 2018 GMCT, he along with Antonio Chandler (Franklin-Pierce), Andre Emden, and Mark Davis, took the Chiefs to their first GMCT final since 2011 thanks in part to an upset win over St. Thomas Aquinas and downing New Brunswick in the 2019 GMCT.
During his three year varsity career at Piscataway, Barba-Bey played in 66 games, made 124 field goals, 39 three pointers, and 133 free throws for a total of 496 points along with 122 rebounds. As a senior, Barba-Bey played the most games in a season with 25, and made 78 field goals, 19 threes, and 86 free throws for a total of 297 points, or an average of 11.9 per game while grabbing 86 rebounds for an average of 3.4 per game according to NJ.com. Barba-Bey was also selected by GMC Hoops to be on the 2019 All GMCT Team.
During the three year span, P-Way has compiled an overall record of 57-25 including a 29-13 mark in the GMC Red. Barba-Bey also made the 2016 GMC Hoops Perth Amboy Tourney All-Tournament Team as a Freshmen when the Frosh Chiefs reached the Amboy/GMC Freshmen Final Four and finished third. As a junior in 2017-18, Barba-Bey played in 20 games for the Chiefs, and made 31 field goals, 17 threes, and 34 free throws to finish with 147 points, or 7.3 points per game along with 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists courtesy of NJ.com.
Barba-Bey is the first former hoops standout from the Greater Middlesex Conference to play at Thomas Jefferson since St. Thomas Aquinas’ all time leading scorer in boys basketball, Corey Francisco played for the Rams when the school was known as Philadelphia University, or Philly U. The Rams, which competes in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) against the likes of Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Felician, Georgian Court, Holy Family University, and USciences of Philadelphia.
The Rams are coached by Philadelphia legend, Herb McGee, who graduated from the school when it was known as Philadelphia Textile back in 1963, and has been the head coach at the school for 53 years. McGee has compiled an overall record of 1096-440. He has coached the Rams to a CACC regular season title in 2007, and 6 CACC South Division regular season crowns (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2017). McGee has also led the school to five CACC Tournament Championships (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2018).
While at Philly U., Francisco, who scored a career total of 1,593 points in four varsity seasons at Aquinas when it was still known as Bishop Ahr, gradually improved over his last three years after seeing limited playing time as a freshman for the Rams. By his senior year, Francisco averaged 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 46.8 percent overall from the floor including 30.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.5 percent from the foul line in 23 games despite missing the final six games of the 2011-12 season.
This past season, Thomas Jefferson University finished 27-4 overall including an 18-1 mark in CACC play. After winning their opening round game over Felician (63-60), and defeating Wilmington University in the semifinals (100-61), the Rams fell to Dominican in the 2020 CACC Championship Game, 75-63. The Rams were scheduled to face NCAA D2 and Northeast 10 Conference powerhouse, Stonehill in the Division II Tournament, but the game was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the 2018-19 season, Jefferson University was 22-8 overall including a 16-3 mark in conference play. The Rams defeated Felician again in the opening round (85-65) of the 2019 CACC Tournament, but then fell to Dominican (65-57) in the CACC Semifinals. Other former GMC players that have competed, or are competing in the CACC include: Marvin Crawford of J.P. Stevens (Holy Family University), Keith Hughes Jr. of Woodbridge (Georgian Court University), Devon Young of South Brunswick (Felician University), Corey Taite (Goldey Beacom), Stephen Linton of J.F. Kennedy (USciences), Jordan Davidson of Piscataway (USciences), Isaiah Daniels-Porter of Carter (Wilmington), and Delano Whitfield (Golden Beacom).
Congratulations Tyree, and best of luck at the next level.