Marvin Barnes

Nickname: "Bad News" or "Movin'"
Ht. 6-9
Wt. 225
College - Providence
ABA Team: St. Louis (1974-75 through 1975-76)

All-American at Providence. ABA Rookie of the Year & ABA All-Rookie Team 1974-75. Co-Holds ABA All-Time Record for most 2-point field goals in 1 game with 27 vs. Memphis Sounds on 3-16-75. Member of 1974-75 ABA All-Pro Team and 2-time ABA All-Star.
GP Min FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% TReb AST PF Stl Blk Pnts RPG APG PPG
Career ABA Totals 144 5563 1458 2916 .500 3 14 .214 546 779 .701 1927 399 601 220 271 3465 13.4 2.8 24.1
ABA Playoff Totals 10 444 124 249 .498 0 1 .000 60 77 .779 141 16 45 20 19 308 14.1 1.6 30.8
ABA All-Star Totals 2 34 9 18 .500 0 0 .000 5 5 1.000 1 2 5 - - 23 .5 1.0 11.5

Sound Clip -- December 1974: Marvin returns to the Spirits and endures endless questions about billiards.

Early in Barnes' rookie year with St. Louis, he bolted the Spirits for parts unknown and attempted to renegotiate his contract. Eventually, he was found (along with his agent) in a smoky pool hall in Dayton, Ohio. Fortunately, Marvin returned to the Spirits and continued his spectacular rookie year.

Streaming RealAudio file -- RealPlayer plug-in required (free download here)
Clip courtesy of Van Vance and used with permission

FROM THE FEBRUARY 1975 ABA FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER (by Scott Haebich): "St. Louis held a 'Beat the Nets' night on February 6, in the hopes of ending a six game losing streak to the defending ABA Champion Nets. Some 2,500 clickers were handed out to fans, the Nets were forced to run under a ladder in order to get from the locker room to the court, and Julius Erving was hanged in effigy. Marvin Barnes, the Spirits' rookie All Star, even wrote the following poems just for the occasion:

Gather up close and hear what I say,
On Feb. 6 we'll be ready to play.
The New York Nets are going to be here,
And we need ALL our fans to come out and cheer,
Because the Nets are rough when they come to play,
With Kenon and Paultz and the bad Dr. J.,
But our time has come and WE ARE READY,
With Fly and Gus and Goo and Freddie.
So gather your money and place your bets,
Because on the night of the 6th,
We're going to beat the Nets.

AND . . .

There once was a doctor named Erving,
Whose slam dunks were especially unnerving,
But when Marvin gets movin',
And the crowd gets to groovin',
For the doctor a hospital bed they'll be reserving.

The final score of the game? NEW YORK 113, ST. LOUIS 92."

Many of the Marvin Barnes photos above are copyright © Albert Hall and used with permission. Interested in obtaining an 8x10 print of these or other ABA photos? and let him know of your interest.

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