Harrison Barnes recruiting thread

[RelativeWays]

So far the most disappointing thing about this latest turn of developments is how quick Duke fans are giving up on this. If Harrison Barnes does read any of these threads, I wonder how it strikes him that a lot of Duke fans are resigned to letting him go to UNC. To me it says "these fans are fickle and don't have a lot of faith in their coach or program, I don't know if I want to go here". Screw that. We don't have too much control in Harrison's decision but we can at least act like we're not giving up. Jeez. If he picks UNC, at least make the heel fans earn it.

[chrisheery]

Yeah, I bet that is the deciding factor he will use to determine where he will spend his college education and at least 1 year of basketball education. The fans on message boards. Even I get embarrased of myself for spending time on this thing so much. I assume he doesn't use me (or any of us) as his guide.

That said, it is true that most people I know think we have lost him. I think that speaks more to our recent misses (just a few key guys, Patrick Patterson probably hurts the most in my mind as he would have completed the team he would have joined).

[slower]

Yeah, I bet that is the deciding factor he will use to determine where he will spend his college education and at least 1 year of basketball education. The fans on message boards. Even I get embarrased of myself for spending time on this thing so much. I assume he doesn't use me (or any of us) as his guide.

That said, it is true that most people I know think we have lost him. I think that speaks more to our recent misses (just a few key guys, Patrick Patterson probably hurts the most in my mind as he would have completed the team he would have joined).

Oh, yeah - "The key to happiness is low expectations."

Hopefully, Harrison's just being a thoughtful guy and weighing everything carefully. I understand people freaking out over a lack of early commitments from HB and KI, but let's wait until the final bell on this one. As screenwriter William Goldman famously said about Hollywood (and predicting which movies would be hits), "nobody knows anything."

[DukeBlood]

If Harrison Barnes chooses somewhere else. It will not be the end of Duke basketball. Lets take a look into the future, and I see Duke signing atleast 2 more players in the '10 recruiting class. To keep it easy though, lets say we only sign one more in Mr. Irving.

Guards:
FR Kyrie Irving- 6'1 165lbs
FR Tyler Thorton- 6'2 180lbs
SO Seth Curry- 6'1 175lbs
SR Nolan Smith- 6'2 185 lbs
SO Andre Dawkins- 6'4 190lbs

Wings/Forwards:
JR Olek Czyz- 6'7 240lbs
SR Kyle Singler- 6'8 230lbs
FR Josh Hairston- 6'8 195lbs
JR Miles Plumlee- 6'10 240lbs
SO Mason Plumlee- 6'11 230lbs

There is alot of talent on that team right there. Sweet 16-Elite 8 status I believe. With the addition of Harrison(assuming he is as good as everyone believes he is) This team probably jumps to Final 4-Champion. Duke will be Duke with or without him. I would love for him to be the next Blue Devil... However if he isn't. Best of luck to a class man. Please dont melt down.

[tommy]

He started courting UNC then says he is going to measure all of his visits by their standard of the alumni game (which he said was phenomenal).

When and where did he say that would be his measuring stick? Link?

[airowe]

“Originally Duke had planned its visit earlier,” said Barnes. “With North Carolina there was some confusion about whether I had open gym at school that day. I had told them around three weeks ago, I didn’t have open gym. We had some additional questions for them, so we just had them come to the house.”

Sounds like Barnes is not as much of a heavy lean to UNC as some would think. If he needed Roy to come all the way out to answer some questions, he can't be completely sold on them. It's obvious UNC has made up ground here, but this one hasn't been decided yet. I'm certainly glad we have the OV to really put on the final show.

Can't wait for Fall signing period to start!

[airowe]

When and where did he say that would be his measuring stick? Link?

Here

They set the standard for what I’m looking for on my other visits. It gave me a good marker for other schools.

I don't think there's much to be made out of it though. It was his first OV. Of course it's going to be the marker for other schools.

[sagegrouse]

So far the most disappointing thing about this latest turn of developments is how quick Duke fans are giving up on this. If Harrison Barnes does read any of these threads, I wonder how it strikes him that a lot of Duke fans are resigned to letting him go to UNC. To me it says "these fans are fickle and don't have a lot of faith in their coach or program, I don't know if I want to go here". Screw that. We don't have too much control in Harrison's decision but we can at least act like we're not giving up. Jeez. If he picks UNC, at least make the heel fans earn it.

Agreed. I suppose with a relatively mature individual like HB, what's posted on this Board will make no difference whatsoever. It reads, however, like a collective psychoanalysis session, which is a little troubling for a public message board.

sagegrouse

[SupaDave]

Learn to see the forest instead of the trees. If some of you would stop devouring your information in tidbits and then obsessing over it, then you would see that nothing really has changed.

Harrison and his family have done everything they have said they would do so let's try and talk more about Harrison the basketball player.

[houstondukie]

If Harrison Barnes chooses somewhere else. It will not be the end of Duke basketball. Lets take a look into the future, and I see Duke signing atleast 2 more players in the '10 recruiting class. To keep it easy though, lets say we only sign one more in Mr. Irving.

Guards:
FR Kyrie Irving- 6'1 165lbs
FR Tyler Thorton- 6'2 180lbs
SO Seth Curry- 6'1 175lbs
SR Nolan Smith- 6'2 185 lbs
SO Andrew Dawkins- 6'4 190lbs

Wings/Forwards:
JR Olek Czyz- 6'7 240lbs
SR Kyle Singler- 6'8 230lbs
FR Josh Hairston- 6'8 195lbs
JR Miles Plumlee- 6'10 240lbs
SO Mason Plumlee- 6'11 230lbs

There is alot of talent on that team right there. Sweet 16-Elite 8 status I believe. With the addition of Harrison(assuming he is as good as everyone believes he is) This team probably jumps to Final 4-Champion. Duke will be Duke with or without him. I would love for him to be the next Blue Devil... However if he isn't. Best of luck to a class man. Please dont melt down.

I don't mean to sound entitled, but I'm tired of sweet 16 appearances. And what about the possibility of Singler going pro?

[chrisheery]

I don't mean to sound entitled, but I'm tired of sweet 16 appearances. And what about the possibility of Singler going pro?

Well, if Singler doesn't go pro, that is a final four team, not a sweet sixteen team.

If he does go pro, I agree, that puts us in a different position. However, that team is still good enough to get to the final four, but probably not as likely.

Things we don't know that we may like a lot when we do:
how good Mason is
how good Dre Dawk is
whether KI can do in college what he does in high school

If all of these variables work out to be slightly better than we think, that makes a very very good team. If slightly worse, more like a sweet sixteen team, I guess.

[airowe]

.

Things we don't know that we may like a lot when we do:
how good Mason is
how good Dre Dawk is
whether KI can do in college what he does in high school

If all of these variables work out to be slightly better than we think, that makes a very very good team. If slightly worse, more like a sweet sixteen team, I guess.

Don't sleep on Seth Curry either. If he's 1/2 the player his brother was in college he's going to make a big impact.

Back on topic, Harrison Barnes.

[chrisheery]

Don't sleep on Seth Curry either. If he's 1/2 the player his brother was in college he's going to make a big impact.

Back on topic, Harrison Barnes.

I thought talking about the fact that we would more than survive without Harrison Barnes might be a refreshing change of pace for this thread. That's not to say he wouldn't make us much better, its to say that even if we don't get him, things are fine. I still think we will, though. He was born to go to Duke.

[DUKIE V(A)]

Harrison and his family have done everything they have said they would do.

Agreed. I am pretty excited to hear his decision, but the family has consistently maintained they are going to be thorough in their evaluation and decision making. It's great that they have many outstanding options to sort through. If Harrison chooses Duke, he will be doing it with eyes wide open (as any recruit should) and we should be particularly excited about that. I give the Barnes family a lot of credit. They seem to be handling the whole recruiting thing quite nicely. Harrison seems like a very mature, thoughtful person. Seems like he would fit into the plans of any program, but he needs the opportunity to carefully determine which program is the best fit for him.

I also agree with the sentiment that we as a fan base should be more optimistic/positive about how great Duke and Duke basketball is. Whether Harrison ultimately chooses to come, he obviously has a lot of respect for Duke. While I hope he picks Duke (and think he ultimately will), if he does not I don't think for a second our coaching staff and players didn't do everything they could to show Harrison and his family how great a place Duke is. I also will not consider Duke or Duke basketball any less special (no matter the program Harrison chooses) even if it means it will be that much more challenging to win basketball games.

[airowe]

I thought talking about the fact that we would more than survive without Harrison Barnes might be a refreshing change of pace for this thread. That's not to say he wouldn't make us much better, its to say that even if we don't get him, things are fine. I still think we will, though. He was born to go to Duke.

Chris, I wasn't calling you out for not talking about Harrison, I did it myself. I was just trying to be on topic myself. I agree with your last statement whole-heartedly. This is a Duke kid through and through.

[chrisheery]

you know who would be good to have around campus for Harrison's OV?

Reggie Love. Is it possible to have a basketball player with a more impressive early career after graduation? I suppose a Rhodes Scholar is more impressive, but Bill Bradley is the only one I have ever heard of doing this. The guy works with the leader of the free world every day. And he didn't even start!

[Faison1]

you know who would be good to have around campus for Harrison's OV?

Reggie Love. Is it possible to have a basketball player with a more impressive early career after graduation? I suppose a Rhodes Scholar is more impressive, but Bill Bradley is the only one I have ever heard of doing this. The guy works with the leader of the free world every day. And he didn't even start!

I'm sure that would be an interesting perspective for Harrison....on the one hand you have Reggie, a Duke Grad, working with the President. On the other hand, you have the President who is a huge UNC fan. I can't tell if that is or isn't a great angle for us....

[jimsumner]

Tom McMillen and Hayward Dotson were also Rhodes Scholars.

But since Princeton, Maryland, and Columbia don't seem to be in the hunt for Barnes, that shouldn't hurt Duke.

[Lord Ash]

I had never heard of Obama being a UNC fan, except for him playing ball with them that one time.

[chrisheery]

Tom McMillen and Hayward Dotson were also Rhodes Scholars.

But since Princeton, Maryland, and Columbia don't seem to be in the hunt for Barnes, that shouldn't hurt Duke.

I almost wrote in my post: cue jimsumner to tell me who the others were. But, then I thought it might not be taken the right way. So great that you had that info posted less than 1 hour later.

Oh, and I agree. When did Obama ever say he was a Carolina fan? Because he picked them and played ball with them? Picking them was just smart. Playing ball with them was probably more of a publicity thing, no?