Big things expected from 2018 class in Mississippi

In pressure-filled moments, Charlie Warriner looks down at two words he writes on the top of his hand before every game.

"VERY YOUNG."

It reminds The Veritas School's boys basketball coach of the 13- and 14-year-olds he plays on the varsity team. They are, after all, often playing against much-older boys.

One of those young players is Michael Barber, a 6-foot-7 14-year old with a 7-foot-3 wingspan.

He's averaging more than 20 points already and is a talented defender.

But even as dominant as he is now, the message on Warriner's hand reminds him that Barber hasn't even scratched the surface of how good he can be.

Barber and two other freshmen prospects — Columbus' Robert Woodard and Forest Hill's LaDarius Marshall — lead a loaded 2018 class in Mississippi.

In basketball circles, they are well-known from their play on the AAU circuit. Do a quick search on YouTube, and you'll find mixtapes featuring windmill dunks from Marshall and Woodard sinking a perfect pull-up jumper off the fast break.

Expectations surrounding a single class in Mississippi haven't been this high since 2011, when then-freshmen Rodney Hood, Deville Smith, LaQuinton Ross and Johnny O'Bryant drew national attention.

"That class was loaded with guys from Mississippi that people were really excited about," Rivals.com national basketball analyst Eric Bossi said.

According to Future150, Woodard is a five-star prospect, Marshall a four-star and Barber rounds out the top-60 rankings as a three-star prospect. That notoriety puts them on the radar of Division I programs across the country.

But their coaches are trying to keep them hungry to offset the early attention.

Marshall, a 6-foot-5 small forward, has started every game on varsity at Forest Hill and averages 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. First-year Patriots coach Jerry Currie knows the talent he has in front of him, which is why he's extra hard on his freshman.

"If he scores 16 points, I ask him why he didn't score 20 and get more rebounds than he did," Currie said. "I always try to raise the bar up so he won't get content."

Currie calls Marshall his team's "spark plug," giving the Patriots a much-needed boost.

"In most cases, he is the man for us every night," Currie said.

Basketball came easily for Marshall as an eighth-grader at Cardozo Middle School. The same goes for Barber and Woodard. All three usually stood 6 inches to a foot taller than their peers.

As an eighth-grader, a 6-foot-5 Woodard, the son of former Mississippi State player Robert Woodard Sr., played on varsity for the final four games of the Falcons' 2013-14 season.

"The pace was a bit challenging for him but it didn't take him long to get going," Columbus coach Sammy Smith said. "He was a huge impact and led us in scoring in one or two of those games. Even the older kids were excited to get him there because he contributed to us being successful, so why wait for him to play high school competition?"

Now a freshman, Woodard knows what's expected of him on varsity. He's averaging 13.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

At Veritas, the up-tempo offense fits Barber, and he draws the responsibility of defending the opposing team's top player.

"Mentally it's a little bit intimidating for him," Warriner said. "He's just young and that's a lot to expect out of a 14-year old."

Still, Barber averages 24 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and five assists per game — and he still has plenty of room to grow.

"He's physically impressive for a freshman but he's not one of those guys who can step in at 14- or 15-years old and overpower/out-athlete guys on that level," Bossi said. "It's understandable that he's finding his way early in the season."

Of course, not every player ranked as highly as these three Mississippi freshmen meet expectations.

But the size, height and ability Barber, Marshall and Woodard have demonstrated halfway through their freshmen year has many believing they will be high-major players.

"A good rule of thumb is to celebrate these guys because they're pretty good and look like they're going to have a good future," Bossi said. "But let's at least let them get through their freshman year before we get too crazy on them."

Contact Courtney Cronin at (601) 961-7091 or ccronin@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @CourtneyRCronin on Twitter.