Dominick Barlow Q&A
Updated: Jun 11, 2022
To conclude the summer AAU cycle, The Circuit Championship at the Fantastic 40 brought together elite sneaker-affiliated and independent programs under one roof. Taking place at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Pro Insight was on hand to cover the four-day event. In between games, we caught up with Dominick Barlow of Bridgton Academy (ME) and New York Renaissance (NY).
He’s experienced a rapid growth in his recruitment and for very good reason. Barlow is a long and versatile forward who excels as a switchable defender and has the ability to stretch the floor and finish at the basket. Gifted with ideal physical and athletic tools for the hybrid forward role, Barlow is just scratching the surface of his full potential.
As part of the Pro Insight Q&A series, Barlow discussed how he got to where he is today, his recruitment update, how his game has grown and more.
For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2022 prospect Dominick Barlow, from Dumont, New Jersey:
Pro Insight: Talk about your background.
Dominick Barlow: I’m from Dumont, New Jersey. I live with my mom and grandparents, I’m an only child.
PI: What are your current measurements?
DB: I’m 6’9” and I weigh 208 pounds. I think my wingspan is 7’2”.
PI: Where do you get your size from?
DB: My grandpa, he’s 6’8” — and my mom is 6’1”.
PI: Did you play any other sports growing up?
DB: Yeah I played football all through high school, but I stopped playing my senior year.
PI: What positions did you play?
DB: I played wide receiver and safety when I was younger, but then I stopped because my basketball coach would get mad at me.
PI: Between basketball and football — which sport would you label as your first love?
DB: I would definitely say football is my first love. I love watching basketball, but I watch a lot more football. At a young age, my grandpa would always watch football and baseball, so I kind of was drawn to that a bit more. Playing basketball is a lot more fun for me, though.
PI: How would you describe yourself as a football player? Any player comparisons?
DB: I would say a player comp is like AJ Green — get on the outside and just throw it up to me and I’m going to catch it.
PI: For those who aren’t familiar with your basketball game, what are your greatest strengths?
DB: I think my biggest strength is my versatility. I can play 3-5 as of right now and hopefully I can develop into a 2 or even a 1 if I put the right work in. I can guard all five positions. My biggest strength is getting to the rim and being able to attack. Crashing the offensive glass if a miss goes up. I can shoot the ball and space the floor. I’ve got to work on my jump shot still, just get it more consistent, but if you need me to hit a shot off the catch, I can hit it. I would say that’s mainly my game.
PI: What are some things you still need to work on?
DB: Just my ball-handling. So I can create a shot for myself more and definitely extend my range because I know that the college three-point line is a little bit deeper, so I have to get ready for that.
PI: What would you say is most underrated about your game?
DB: I think I’m a pretty good passer. I think that part of my game gets overlooked. I’m very unselfish. I like to get guys involved, I mean I’m not Magic Johnson, but I think I’m a pretty good passer.
PI: Talk about your basketball journey — how did you get to where you are today?
DB: So I started at a small high school, Dumont High School. I wasn’t really getting that much recruitment until my junior year, that’s when I got my first D1 offer playing for Jersey Force AAU. It’s an independent circuit, they play the HGSL. I got four offers through that summer. Going into my senior year I met Coach Oz who is the 16U coach for the New York Renaissance. He saw me playing in a park and asked me to come to AAU workouts and that relationship has built ever since. I did really well at the workouts, Andy Borman who is the 17U coach said I was good enough to stay and play with them. I was able to build my recruitment to now, where I have a lot of high major offers and I can basically have more of a choice of where I want to go to college.
PI: How influential was Jersey Force in your on and off-court development?
DB: They’re great at putting guys out there for being an independent team. I mean they don’t have as much resources as EYBL or any of these circuit teams, but they get a lot of guys to college on scholarships to play for free and I think that’s incredible with the resources they have. They have a great coaching staff and they want the best for you. I really appreciate them.
PI: Talk more about your time with the NY Rens — how did they take your game to the next level and help you gain exposure?
DB: Just building confidence. I think that was the biggest thing. Just being able to see that I can play with all of these high major guys that are going to all of these crazy schools. That was really a big thing for me and once I saw that, I could put in my work and my game has gr