MAINE, Maine — The thrill of seeing his game jersey in his locker, hearing his name called pregame, and taking the court is what's kept Auburn's Troy Barnies going all these years.
After excelling in the high school ranks at Edward Little and then in college at the University of Maine, the 33-year-old has played professional basketball overseas in Europe for 12 seasons.
"I want to keep it going as long as I can," Barnies said over a Zoom call Sunday.
Barnies is playing professionally in Estonia, on the same team he joined late last season. NEWS CENTER Maine spoke with Barnies in the spring, when he was playing in Ukraine during Russia's invasion.
Barnies said he checks in with his former teammates and friends who are still in Ukraine. His old team doctor is a medic in the Ukrainian army reserves.
"They're all in high spirits, and it's good to see they're doing OK," he added. "Their life is still normal outside the war that's happening. They're trying to keep it as normal and as possible as possible, which is good to see."
While Barnies is able to keep in touch with old friends from his hotel room in Estonia, he is focused on winning games with his new team.
His team won their league championship last spring, so they compete in a champions-style league this season. Barnies said they travel across Europe to play the best teams from other leagues.
Barnies has played in multiple countries in Europe over the years and said he's noticed differences in teams' style of play based on where they're from.
“Some teams like to run faster, quick offenses, shoot the ball when you’re open quick," he said. "Sometimes, some teams will all use all 24 seconds in the shot clock. But, yeah, they’re very different wherever you go."
His team is set to travel to the Netherlands on Tuesday for their next game. Barnies and his squad also play in an Estonian-Latvian league as well.
The kid from Maine spends most of the year a long way from home, but every off-season he's come back to train and help grow the game in his home state.
"Oh, [basketball] has drastically gotten better," Barnies said about the sport in Maine. "All the AAU circuits, all the special training, the availability to these kids in Maine is so much better than it used to be which is phenomenal."
Few people in Maine know the grind of the game like Barnies does. He said all the attention on the sport, thanks in part to social media, is allowing younger players to fall in love and focus on their own careers.
Cooper Flagg is just one of the big-time prospects from Maine who has received national attention. He and his twin brother, Ace, have already received multiple Division I scholarship offers as they head into their sophomore high school season.
JP Estrella committed to the University of Tennessee this fall. The former South Portland standout will play his senior high school season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
"Seeing all these kids slowly getting up and getting exposed, [basketball is] it's on the right path for sure, I love seeing it," Barnies added.
He may be in his 30s, but Barnies said he's in great shape and feels like he's in his mid-20s. The Mainer said as long as he can run, shoot, and pass, he'll keep playing the game he loves.