The news surprised, and chilled, all of basketball Belgium this Thursday afternoon: Barry Mitchell died at the age of 60 of a heart attack, announces The Future.
If the name will perhaps evoke a vague memory for real ELITE 2 specialists, with a difficult half-season in Nantes in 2002/03 (6.3 points at 37%, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15 Pro B matches with Hermine), marred by a recurring knee injury, Barry Mitchell is a true legend of Belgian basketball.
Trained at Norfolk State, he had his hour of glory in the 90s in Belgium, winning the national championship title in 1995 with Ostend then the Cup in 1997 and 1998, still with the Flemish club.
A big defender, very popular on a human level in Belgium, he pushed the pleasure until he approached his 50th birthday in the lower divisions, leaving the cupboards for good in 2014.
Retrained as a coach, he also left a formidable legacy in Belgian basketball by being the father of Ajay Mitchell, the current revelation of the NBA season with the Thunder, with whom he won the title in his rookie season.
“Ajay worked hard to touch his dream and make it come true”confided Barry Mitchell to our cousins BeBasket Belgium at the time of the draft of the former Nanterrian. « It’s something he always had in mind and as soon as he started walking, he already had a ball in his hands. His plan was the NBA. (…) The son has undoubtedly surpassed the father and has done so for a long time. I saw him when he left for the Namur academy, there, I already told myself that he would be better than I ever was. »
READ ALSO
