Five-star FSU commit Barnes brings guard skills in a big man's body

He can score. He can pass. He can rebound. He can handle the ball. And he can defend multiple positions.

He's also considered to be a fiery leader, someone who isn't afraid to get in a teammate's face if that player needs some extra motivation.

The scouting report for recent Florida State commitment Scottie Barnes makes the Florida native sound an awful lot like three-time NBA champion Draymond Green.

"I don't think that's a terrible comparison," said Eric Bossi, national basketball analyst for Rivals.com. "Draymond is kind of one of those guys that doesn't fit any of the conventional spots of where you play a guy positionally. He's kind of an undersized power forward. ... But he can handle the ball and passes a lot.

"I'm pretty sure a big part of the appeal (for Barnes to choose FSU) was that, 'Hey, we're going to put the ball in your hands quite a bit and trust you to make decisions for us. And I think he's a worthy guy for that."

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Barnes is rated the No. 9 player in the country by Rivals.com. The South Florida native likely will be the second-highest-ranked player ever signed by Leonard Hamilton at Florida State (Jonathan Isaac was the No. 8 player in the country in the class of 2016), and he will be bringing a multitude of skills to Tallahassee.

Barnes is 6-foot-8, a terrific athlete and a tremendous defender. He also can be a primary ball-handler, something that he'll get a chance to do quite a bit at Florida State.

But maybe his best attribute, of many, is what kind of competitor he is.

Of the prospects in the 2020 class, Bossi said, Barnes is, "as good as it gets in terms of a team guy."

Bossi said he truly values winning and team above all else. So much so that during a recent scrimmage with USA Basketball -- on a Saturday in Colorado Springs, thousands of miles from home -- Barnes was seen pleading with his teammates late in the game to not give up. To not hang their heads. Reminding them that they still had a chance to win.

"He was going crazy," Bossi said. "It was a meaningless game. His teammates had kind of cashed it in. And him not finding that acceptable, that kind of gets burned into your mind and you can't forget it."

Bossi said he had long thought Barnes was heading to Oregon, but he added that his commitment to FSU just hammered home the point that, "you can never count out Leonard Hamilton," when it comes to recruiting.

And though Barnes' intangibles are off the charts, he's more than just a potentially great teammate and leader. He's a highly skilled power forward that should pay immediate dividends for the Seminoles.

"They're getting a guy who I think fits the way basketball is going," Bossi said. "This idea of position-less basketball. ... He's basically a ball-handling power forward. He's very good at screens, a good passer. He can post up some. He's not much of a jump shooter, which is a major flaw in his game that he's going to have to work on, but he's a communicator. He can switch up and down the whole lineup defensively.

"He can move his feet and stay with (guards) and then get back to his big guy. He's got long arms that allow him to play a little bigger than his size."

In short, Florida State is likely getting a legitimate difference-maker.

On both ends of the court.

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