Barnes Knows.
Harrison Barnes knows how to play the game of basketball. Barnes knows saxophone. Barnes knows school. Barnes knows golf. Barnes knows finance. Sound familiar? Bo Jackson was the last athlete we knew that embodied such an array of talents. Harrison Barnes exploded onto the scene during last year's AAU summer tournaments, and has been a steam engine ever since. The #1 high school basketball recruit in the class of 2010 is not backing down from competition, which catapulted him to the top of coaches' lists as well. A writer from the New York Times, said in an article that, "Harrison excels off the court as well. When I asked him about a potential course of study in college, he cut me off before I could finish asking him the question."
“Business administration,” he said. “Finance.”
State Championship... NCAA Tourney... Draft... Contract... Endors...
Barnes list of potential colleges includes Kansas, UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Stanford, Florida, and countless others. Today, this sort of acclaim at such a young age can be difficult to handle. Especially in the age of the internet recruiting, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Youtube, and every other outlet for a student-athlete to better expose his/her abilities on a large scale. What else will be on a larger scale? The NCAA Tournament, Barnes' NBA Draft day, his big conract, as well as endorsements. Barnes has the ride of his life ahead of him, and I will be keeping you posted on his development no doubt.
An article from the Fayettevile Observer, national recruiting director for scout.com, Dave Telep, said of Barnes, "The kid's the real deal." Telep went on to say, "Honestly, when I watch Harrison play I'm not asking, 'Is he the best player in the country?' I'm asking, "How many NBA All-Star games will he play in?" Telep also compared Barnes' competitive drive to that of NBA champion Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers).
Being compared to arguably one of the best players in NBA history, your work is cut out for you. Harrison Barnes does not quit. Before ending the Iowa State Championship basketball game last season with a crowd-numbing dunk, Barnes crushed folks in dozens of games with the All-Iowa Attack in AAU tournaments throughout the summer.
Local Hero?
Will Harrison Barnes consider staying home and playing at Iowa or Iowa State next season? The amount of attention Barnes will receive at the college level will have the power to boost a program from non-existent, to the national spotlight, instantaneously. Consider Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before the arrival of Lebron James, Cleveland's only significant moment was Michael Jordan's 1st Round exorcism he pulled on the Cavs Craig Ehlo in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. What happened next? Lebron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA last season. As a freshman, Carmelo Anthony brought a swagger to a shaky Syracuse program , and led them to an NCAA Tournament Championship win in 2003. Stephen Curry, son of NBA great Dell Curry, chose the University of Dayton (OH), a mid-major conference school, however, he was able to bring notoriety to the Flyers basketball program by leading them to multiple NCAA Tournament wins. Will Barnes do the same for one of his local programs? I don't imagine so, but anything can happen.
Make sure you tune in this hoop season. The Class of 2010 will not disappoint.
Thanks for reading.
(Coach)
