At 6-8 (2.03) and a muscular 240 lbs. (109 kg.), “Bad News” Barnes played mostly center in his college days at Texas Western (now Texas at El Paso). He also played center for the 1964 Olympic team alternating with Mel Counts at that position. He was the first round draft choice of the New York Knicks in 1964 and played well for two years with them, averaging in double figures. In 1966 they traded Barnes, a forward in the NBA, to the Baltimore Bullets (now of Washington). Barnes never again approached his first two years, finishing up his career as a journeyman with four more teams before his retirement in 1971. He did play on the Boston Celtics team that won the NBA championship in 1969.
United States