From Bill Crothers Secondary to the Civil Engineering program at the University of Toronto, Varsity Blues point guard Lia Barbieri added full time starter to her schedule in her first game in the women's basketball program. Now in her second year she is the heartbeat of the team on the floor and showing her versatility to the league.
Playing alongside Raya Hafez and Kaylee Williams, Lia in her first year showed fans a lot of what she could do off the dribble attacking the hoop and distributing. Her quick footwork and control while both in the air or playing at a fast pace stood out and set the tone for an aggressive guard who was going to be difficult to keep track of on the floor.
She averaged 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 22 games as a rookie starter. It was clear she was going to be a big part of the next foundation of the program with what she could do on the ball, and going off their first eight games of this season, the foundation may already be set.
You don't need to look much further past her playing time to get a sense of Lia's importance to the Varsity Blues with her playing almost 39 minutes per game, but her development going into her second year should remove any remaining doubt.
If you look at how Lia is playing on the defensive end, I think you'll see a player who not only plays off of others on the floor but also has the instincts to cause a little chaos on the floor and create extra possessions. She already has 20 steals on the year having recorded 30 all of last year, and how she is able to jump into passing lanes with her quickness is a massive asset for Toronto.
How she has improved her positioning and footwork on the defensive end, and how she puts herself in the best situations to succeed is what I think has stood out from her first year into her second year and made her even more of a player you have to watch for on both ends.
While her instincts and her footwork make her someone who can flip a game defensively, her aggression makes her a constant threat on the offensive end. When she's bringing the ball up the floor her eyes are often inside the paint, and if her defender isn't square to the ball, she is attacking downhill to get to the rim. When her defender is ready to stop an initial drive inside she can play a version of a give-and-go where she will pass it to a player on the shoulder and immediately move to a spot on the perimeter where she can take threes if the ball goes back to her.
That initial look to go full court to the rim creates a sense in the defence that their first priority is to stop the ball to avoid a situation where they have to defend her inside without fouling. When defenders do stop her initial drive and get the ball out of her hands, she gets into what she can do playing off of the catch. Faith Joseph is one who takes control of the execution and forwards like Zi Yang Wang or Jade Diwandja Djemba who usually end up with the ball in those circumstances, have an outlet who's always shifting around the perimeter to receive a pass and create her own shot.
Immediate spot up threes, one dribble pull-up jump shots or drives to the rim from the elbow, Lia constantly moving along the perimeter makes her a continuous threat and her aggressive style keeps the tempo up for the Varsity Blues at all times.
Lia dictates the play for the Varsity Blues, and her vast skillset opens up the bag of how Toronto want to attack an opponent. She is never-ending energy on the floor and she keeps the Varsity Blues on the gas pedal. She's the leader of the Varsity Blues on the court and her sister, Haley Barbieri, who is a fourth year guard with the Queen's Gaels, has seen what Lia is doing this year, coming for many years.
"It's been so fun watching Lia play for UofT all while balancing a civil engineering workload," Haley said. "I feel she's grown a lot as a player and a leader on her team and it's so nice to see. I'm honestly not surprised on how well she's been doing, she's always been a leader and a strong point guard since a very young age and I can attest to all the hours we've spent together over the years in the weight room and/or on the court getting shots up. Her dedication to the game has paid off. I'll always be her biggest cheerleader and can't wait to see how she continues to develop this season."