As the clock strikes 2 a.m. in Mongolia, Team USA 3x3 men's basketball player Canyon Barry joins his team. His basketball shoes remain in his bag, his workout clothes untouched as he opens his computer. He says a quick hello, then begins presenting PowerPoint slides to his engineering team at L3Harris, a global aerospace and technology company.
Barry traveled to Mongolia with his 3x3 basketball team for a tournament, yet he will have to rest later. At 2 a.m., he has work to do.
After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in physics from the College of Charleston and earning a master's degree in nuclear engineering from Florida, Barry works as a systems engineer in addition to being a full-time basketball player.
Barry shooting his iconic "granny style" free throw at Florida. (Photo by Getty Images)
"My NCAA experience prepared me for Team USA by teaching me how to manage my time and always give my best effort every time I stepped foot on the court," Barry told The Charleston Post and Courier. "Being able to balance basketball and the professional world was a direct correlation to the work I did as a student-athlete in the NCAA."
Barry's balancing act included traveling to over 15 countries this past year to play in 3x3 tournaments with his teammates, former NCAA standouts Kareem Maddox (Princeton), Jimmer Fredette (BYU) and Dylan Travis (Florida Southern). In November, the team ranked second in the world, earning an Olympic bid to represent the red, white and blue.
"We're like brothers and family," Barry said. "There's no one else I'd rather compete with."
Barry comes from a distinguished basketball family but is the first member of his clan to play in the Olympics. (Photo by Getty Images)
The quartet boasts an impressive resume, including gold medals at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup and the 2023 Pan American Games, as well as a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.
"If we have really good flow offensively, we've got one of the greatest shooters on the planet in Jimmer Fredette," Barry told The Post and Courier. "If he's making shots, we're a hard team to beat. We stick to our principles and rules on the court, I think we're the best team in the world."
While working and preparing for the Olympics, Barry embodies excellence. Yet when you are the son of NBA legend Rick Barry, excellence runs in the family.
I have some of the best teachers in the world," the 6'6 shooting guard said. "(I) couldn't ask for more."
One of the best teachers in the world includes his father, a 12-time NBA/ABA All-Star and NBA champion and the only basketball player to have led the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring. His mother, Lynn Barry, trained Canyon to develop his basketball skills from an early age. She had a standout collegiate basketball career at William and Mary before becoming a trailblazer to help launch the WNBA, spending years working with USA Basketball.
Three of Canyon's brothers, Drew, Jon and Brent, have played in the NBA; Brent won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1996. His brother Scooter won a national championship at Kansas.
"The Barrys have done almost everything," Canyon said.
Almost.
Canyon will be the family's first Olympian.
"Honestly, I couldn't be prouder or happier for Canyon," Rick told The Post and Courier. "He's going to do something that no one in the Barry family has ever done — represent the United States in the Olympics."
"To finally be able to add my own twist to that Barry basketball legacy is very cool," the 30-year-old said.
Now, as Barry balances working full time and preparing for the Olympics, he knows that continuing his family's legacy makes the workload worthwhile.
"It's a lot," Barry admitted. "But when you're trying to make the Olympics, you have to do whatever you can to make it work."
College of Charleston and Florida graduate Canyon Barry is on the first U.S. 3x3 men's basketball team to qualify for the Olympics. (Photo by Getty Images)
