Corner Brook’s Nathan Barker hoping to build on impressive rookie campaign with Sea-Hawks

It was a season to remember, but Nathan Barker is not about to rest on his laurels.

The six-foot-five Corner Brook native is poised to bring his game to another level in his sophomore campaign with the Memorial University Sea-hawks mens’ varsity basketball squad.

Barker, a standout on the provincial high school basketball scene before graduating from Corner Brook High two years ago, was named to the Atlantic University Sport men’s basketball all-rookie team in his first season.

RELATED:

'Corner Brook's Nathan Barker beaming after rookie season with Sea-Hawks'

The Sea-Hawks open the AUS regular season this weekend on the road with a two-game series against the Acadia Axemen.

The Sea-Hawks didn’t win a game in six pre-season games, but Barker was a dominant factor on the scoresheet hitting double digits on several occasions in a losing cause.

Despite no wins in exhibition play, Barker is maintaining a positive attitude. He believes the team learned a lot in the pre-season action about what needs to be fixed on both offence and defence to make them a better team and the guys have been working hard in those areas in practice.

It’s a safe bet the coaching staff of the Sea-Hawks expect bigger and better things from Barker in his second season, but that’s just fine because the Corner Brook native is eager to do more to help the team go deep in the playoffs this year after an early exit last year in a loss to the Axemen.

“I need to be consistent on offence being able to knock down shots in every game,” the 19-year-old said.

Everybody working hard and playing their role to the best of their ability is the only way he sees the team achieving success as a group so he plans on motivating and pushing the new players to do just that.

“We’re going to have play our best in all corners and not have lapses in games where we don’t play so well,” he said.

*****This article has been edited to corrected inaccuracies*****