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Prior to last week, Cassidy Barrios knew that Bulgaria was a European nation, but little more.
Since then, she’s done hours and hours of research on the faraway land because it’s soon to be her home for the fall.
Barrios signed a professional contract with BK Beroe Stara Zagora, one of the top teams in the Women Adriatic Basketball Association (WABA) — the top league in the European country.
The former Nicholls State University standout and graduate said the opportunity is humbling — so much so that she struggled to put it all into words during an interview with The Times on Wednesday morning.
“It feels great because this is what I’ve been working almost my whole life for,” Barrios said. “The opportunity for me to continue playing basketball around the world is an amazing experience that I’m so grateful for. It still really hasn’t hit me fully, though, but I’m sure it will hit me when I’m actually out there.”
No one deserves this more than Cassidy Barrios.
She was a standout at Vandebilt Catholic — one of the top local players in recent years.
She then signed with Nicholls and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Barrios is the best player in the history of Nicholls State University women’s basketball, and there is no real debate for another player. She left the school as a four-year starter and the school’s all-time leader in points (among other school records). She also was a two-time recipient of Louisiana Player of the Year, a two-time Southland Women’s Basketball Student Athlete of the Year, a Southland Conference Tournament MVP and one of just six Division I players to average 20 points and 10 rebounds this past season.
In her career, she also led Nicholls to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18 and last season, the Colonels competed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational for the first time ever.
“She’s meant so much to this program,” Nicholls women’s basketball coach DoBee Plaisance said last season. “The day that she decided to come here, our entire University got better. That’s the type of impact that Cassidy the player and Cassidy the person has on your program and on your entire University as a whole.”
Barrios said she never really thought much about professional basketball until her junior season, but she approached her senior season knowing that she wanted to play beyond her collegiate years.
She hired an agent after the season and through that, the Bulgaria deal took place.
She signed the contract officially last week.
Beroe is an elite-level team. They finished 11-3 last season and won the league championship.
“I let my agent handle everything, so I’m not sure how that process went,” Barrios said when asked how the team found her. “I have not gotten to speak to the coach yet, but hopefully I will soon.”
Barrios will depart the United States for her new part-time home in the coming months with a planned arrival date of Sept. 1.
That gives her some time to get ready to make a huge impact in her rookie season.
Barrios said she’s worked tirelessly since graduation to try and polish up some aspects of her game.
With Nicholls, Barrios was a Jill of all trades — the team’s leader in virtually every, single statistical category.
In the pros, Barrios said she hopes to transition to becoming more of a combo guard, though she said she will do whatever is asked of her by her coaches and teammates.
“I’m just working on bettering myself every day through training,” Barrios said. “I’m staying in the weight room and getting my basketball workouts in almost every day of the week to stay in good shape. I want to perform my best over there, so I’m taking care of the training now, so I can show up in good condition.”
When asked what she knew about Bulgaria, Barrios said not much.
But she said she is approaching the departure with an open mind, adding that she is looking forward to seeing places she’s never seen and meeting people from the other side of the globe.
Ultimately, she knows that getting buckets will help in the transition, as well, though that shouldn’t be a problem.
That’s something she’s done her entire life.
“Before this offer, I’d only ever heard the name,” Barrios said when asked what she knew about Bulgaria. “But since then, I’ve done some research. It’s very close to Greece and Turkey and I’ve also heard that it can get pretty cold there, so that will definitely be an adjustment. But I’m excited — ready to get going.”
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EDITOR’s NOTE: We are so excited for you, Cassidy! Thank you so much for your willingness over the years to take time out of your schedule to accommodate any interview request we’ve needed — even dating back to your days at Vandebilt Catholic. On behalf of the entire team at Rushing Media, congratulations and we know without any doubt that your next days will be some of your best days!
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