Meadowdale senior Dan Barhoum’s production on the basketball court may not always be flashy, but it usually comes with a high volume of effectiveness and efficiency.
“He’s one of those guys that you watch and say, ‘That’s a good player,’ but then you look up at the end of the game and he has 18 points and 10 rebounds, and you’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’” Mavericks coach Roger O’Neill said. “He’s always in the right spot at the right time, and he has a high basketball IQ. There have been games in which I didn’t call a single play for him and he slithered his way to 20 points.”
Here are five things to know about Barhoum, a 6-foot-4 swingman:
1. He’s a “Meadowdale lifer,” according to his coach. “I’ve been coached by one of my favorite high school players from when I was a kid, Roger O’Neill. Not too many players get to have that experience, so I’ve been fortunate,” said Barhoum, who has talked with coaches at Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound about continuing his basketball career after graduation. “I grew up watching my older sister (Margreet) play, and she inspired me. She went on to play at Montana State University. I went to all of her games and was her No. 1 fan. I used to know all of her stats.”
2. He’s really into fantasy football. Barhoum is the proud owner of the Chino Hills Chipmunks of the Meadowdale Fantasy League. “I take it seriously,” he said. “This year my team ended up in fourth place, but I won the league two years ago. At a younger age I was a sports nerd, and I had heard of fantasy football, but I had no one to play with. I always used to play with my dad, winning his league for him. But once I started getting into it, I saw that once you dig deep into the numbers and work the waiver wire, anything can happen.”
3. He’s interested in becoming a broadcaster. “I’m a big fan of (Fox Sports’) Colin Cowherd,” he said. “A family friend of ours is the broadcaster for the University of Montana football team. His name is Riley Corcoran. He’s always been super friendly to me, letting me listen to him and giving me tips about what it takes (to succeed). He’s a great guy.”
4. He’s a gregarious type of fellow. “If I had to use one word to describe myself, it would be ‘outgoing,’” he said. “I have a lot of trust when I meet new people. I’m not too shy. If I meet someone, five seconds later I’m going to act like I’ve known them for years. I just love to talk to people, I guess.”
5. His favorite basketball memory involves an upset victory. “My sophomore year, Senior Night in the Stable, we were playing a top-10 Mountlake Terrace team, which had been killing everybody,” he said. “We hadn’t been successful for the last four or five years, and we needed to win that game to get a spot in a (3A District 1 tournament) play-in game. We played great, and we won. The fans stormed the court. Everybody was so hyped up. That was a super cool way to send the seniors out.”
