RAMSEY: Canyon Barry happily follows in family footsteps

Canyon Barry has always been surrounded by his basketball family.

And it’s quite a family. Rick, his father, is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and led the Golden State Warriors to the 1975 NBA title.

Lynn, his mother, earned academic All-American honors as a forward at William & Mary. Three of Canyon’s half-brothers, Jon, Brent and Drew, played in the NBA.

But at this moment, Canyon is alone as he considers the blessings and burdens of the Barry legacy. He’s just walked off the court following a Cheyenne Mountain High School victory.

PHOTOS: Chronology of Rick Barry and his basketball-playing sons

“I don’t feel I have to be a Barry,” Canyon says in a steady voice. “I don’t want to be like my dad or my brothers. I want to be my own player.”

And he’s moving fast toward this goal. Canyon is a 6-foot-41/2, 155-pound junior forward who averages 8.5 points. He remains an unfinished product, a player still growing into his body.

But there’s no hiding his potential. He wears size 15 sneakers and has enormous hands and a longer reach than his father, who stands 6-foot-7.

He wears his heritage lightly. He’s hyper supportive of his teammates, applauding after baskets and steals and rebounds. He’s from a family of basketball celebrities, but seeks to blend with the crowd.

Cheyenne Mountain coach Chad Belveal talks with admiration for Canyon’s team-first approach.

“He has the perfect demeanor for what he’s living in,” Belveal says. “He’s the son of an NBA Hall of Famer and to have that kind of pressure on you is tremendous, but he doesn’t ever act like he feels pressure.

“And he never walks around acting like I’m the son of an NBA legend so it should be all about me. He’s the ultimate team player. He’s a team guy. He really is.”

At times, the team guy struggles. His shooting touch wavers and he struggles against muscular opponents.

But there are glimpses of what could be ahead. Thursday against Denver's Thomas Jefferson, a perennial state power, Barry roars down the baseline into a trio of defenders.

He jumps into the middle of the crowd and pulls the ball high. The trio all reach for the ball, but Canyon fools them, yanking it down, floating under the rim and scoring on a reverse layup.

A few minutes later, Canyon steps to the line. Virtually every high school player in America shoots one-handed free throws, reaching high before releasing.

Canyon goes low, embracing family tradition from the line. He grips the ball with both hands before gently shooting underhanded.

“What the …” shouts a Thomas Jefferson supporter as Barry prepares to shoot.

Yes, Canyon wants to develop his own basketball personality, but he’s wise enough to follow the steps of his father. Rick sank 90 percent of his underhand free throws during his NBA career.

“Logic says that if one of the best free throw shooters of all time shot underhanded, why not try it?” Canyon asks. “It’s a great shot, a lot softer than an overhand shot. … It’s the right shot for me.”

From the stands, Rick watches the layups and free throws with quiet intensity.

As a player, Rick attacked the game with distinctive rage, sharing opinions with teammates, coaches, opponents and officials. He did not specialize in basketball diplomacy.

Mike Dunleavy, Barry’s teammate and friend, once summarized Barry’s personality.

“You could send him to the U.N. and he’d start World War III,” Dunleavy said.

As a basketball parent, Rick is silent man of peace. While watching games, he sits on the top row, compiling detailed statistics to share with Canyon. He does not utter one word to coaches or officials.

“I just watch,” Rick says. “I’m not a meddling parent.”

Belveal confirms this. Other parents offer advice, ask questions.

Not Rick.

“He stays out of it,” Belveal says. “He does that on purpose. And I appreciate it. Having an NBA Hall of Famer in your ear every day, that could be intimidating.”

And not only to a coach. The formula for a basketball catastrophe is there for father and son, too.

But Rick and Lynn have embraced a gentle approach to teaching the game. They encouraged Canyon to pursue other interests, and he’s done so with gusto. He’s an A student, an Eagle Scout, a devoted musician and a state champion in tennis doubles. He hopes to become a doctor, a family tradition on his mother’s side.

Canyon has learned basketball at his pace, not his parents’ pace.

“I tell him that it’s no big deal, just go out and have fun,” Rick says. “It’s up to him. I don’t ever make him go out and shoot and practice. If he does, I try to make myself available and give him insight and guidance, but it’s got to be up to him.”

Canyon confirms his father’s words. He never encounters the fiery man who dominated NBA games in the ‘60s and ’70s.

“He’s always encouraged me,” Canyon says. “He says, ‘Try to get better. Have fun.’”

Canyon smiles as he looks forward to the ride with his father to their home near The Broadmoor. He knows his father will compliment him for hustle on defense and generosity on offense. He suspects dad also will mention he failed to drop his shooting shoulder on jump shots.

The pressure on Canyon’s still-slim shoulders could be crushing, but it’s not. He’s surrounded by supporters, not critics.

“I’m blessed,” he says, “to come from a basketball family.”

More information on the Barrys:
Rick: Led nation in scoring (37.6 per game) as senior at University of Miami, 1964-65. First team All-NBA 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1976. Led NBA in scoring (35.6 per game) 1966-67. Scored 64 points against Portland, March 26, 1974.
Lynn: Averaged 18.3 points and shot 62 percent from the field during career at William & Mary, 1977-81. Scored 39 points against Virginia Wesleyan in 1979-80 season.
Canyon’s half-brothers:
Jon: First-round pick of Boston Celtics, 1992 (traded to Milwaukee Bucks). Played in NBA 1992-2006.
Brent: First-round pick of Denver Nuggets, 1995 (traded to Los Angeles Clippers). Played in NBA 1995-2009. Won 1996 NBA Slam Dunk Competition.
Drew: Second-round pick of Seattle Sonics, 1996. Played in NBA 1997-2000.
Scooter: Played for University of Kansas NCAA title team, 1988. Played professionally in Europe.