Once again, North Carolina beats Duke. And just about everybody else in the nation.
Harrison Barnes, the nation's top basketball recruit, selected the defending national champion Tar Heels over the Blue Devils, long rumored to be Barnes' fruont-runner, as well as UCLA, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State at a press conference at his high school in Ames, Iowa on Friday.
And if Barnes can play basketball half as well as he can draw out the suspense, Roy Williams is in for another banner year.
"The school I choose to be my alma mater, to leave my legacy had the right balance of academics and basketball," Barnes said after a speech that had thanked everyone from his mother to Internet recruiting sites, "I'm proud to announce the school I will attend is the coach's (that) I'm going to Skype ..."
Unfortunately, the voice-over IP phone system wasn't nearly as smooth as the polished-as-a-politician Barnes. After a brief wait staring at a projection screen, up popped the face of Williams.
"We got the whole team here!" Williams exclaimed when he and the Heels popped up in the Ames press conference.
"I can't wait to join all you guys," Barnes replied.
And with that, the defending national champions had won again.
Barnes, a 6-foot-7 do-it-all small forward, is the third five-star player to commit to the Tar Heels this year, according to Scout.com. He joins shooting guard Reggie Bullock and point guard Kendall Marshall, both ranked in the top five at their position.
The loss will be felt most acutely at Duke, which has now very publicly whiffed on its primary targets each year since landing Josh McRoberts, the top recruit of the class of 2005. The Blue Devils missed on Brandan Wright in the class of 2006, (North Carolina), Patrick Patterson (Kentucky) in 2007, Greg Monroe (Georgetown) in 2008 and Kenny Boynton (Florida) 2010.
Add Barnes to that list.
Barnes, who was downright presidential in his address to the assembled media, had often been described as the next Shane Battier or Grant Hill, largely because Mike Krzyzewski has been recruiting so long you'd be surprised to learn Krzyzewski didn't sign his birth certificate.
He was expected to be the centerpiece of a Duke resurgence, following the commitment of Kyrie Irving, the New Jersey point guard ranked fifth in the nation overall by Scout.com.
Now, the Blue Devils are left to scramble for a plan B yet again.
The only adjusting the Heels will have to do, however, is figure out where to fit another banner in the crowded Smith Center rafters.
Harrison Barnes Picks North Carolina
- 21Comments
- Say Something »
11/13/2009 4:24 PM ET By Ray Holloman
-
- Ray Holloman
- Ray Holloman is FanHouse's College Sports Editor
Read More: North Carolina harrison+barnes
- 21Comments
- Say Something »
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
HOw
DO U LIKE US NOW,,GO HEELS
there goes another wasted talent.will be in trouble by end of career.what a doosh bag
doosh? really? ....someone with such a mastery of the English language deserves so much of the readers respect. douche.
Good news - won't have to go to class!
Alma mater - don't you have to graduate to call it that?
He'll be like the Cleveland Browns - three and out!
Doesn't matter, he'll be in jail by his sophomore year.
ahhh, what a shame to see the haters come out... one wonders, would these same comments be posted if he had chosen dook?
Great choice. He made the right decision.
I can see the losers on this board yapping. To bad they don't know anything about basketball.
What the heck is a doosh bag? Obviously a KU grad.
That's a great coupe for UNC but this guy needs a lesson in humility. He hasn't even been to his first practice yet and already he's talking about "leaving his legacy". UNC has had many players throughout its fabled history but most remain anonymous, hardly bearing individual legacies that match the programs's legacy itself.
In high school he's 6' 7" and there probably wasn't a class he didn't pass or should we say a teacher that wouldn't fail him. I'd love to know his SAT Scores and see a writing sample of abilities and a few simple Math questions he attempted.. Just hearing about his legacy leads me to believe he's a real future leadeer of America...
He made a bad mistake in not going to Duke
Harrison is a great kid and very smart! I'm from the Ames area and he will be missed when he goes to UNC. I see the people on here are racist and see that he's black and think....criminal. Way to go Douche Bags!
Cool.
what was your sat scores? obviously you have poor writing skills, just read your comments out loud. what an idiot. it's america he can play anywhere he wants. get a life
The only reason he didn't pick Duke is because they don't want someone for one year and then off to the NBA. The tarholes need all the help they can get , They still suck.
He made the right decision. Duke plays team ball. He would not be able to make the team playing by himself.
Great for UNC....Can't wait till the season starts !
Now settle down Dookies. He would've been a bright kid from a great family had he opted for dook. His family places a premium on education so dont be surprised to see this kid go three years. Hes coming in with about 2 semesters worth of credit from AP classes and only needs three to get a B.S. Roy won't let him hang around if he's going to be a high lottery pick unless he insists. Well the extra padding for K's room just arrived here at Butner so we need to get ready for his arrival. See ya...wouldnt want to be ya.
Roy would let him take a dump on his mothers grave for a chance to coach him. I don't know how you guys from cheater hill can be so gullible. Roy is as big a hypocrite as you will ever find, he's just lucky dumbo dean liked him or he would be a gym teacher in asheville.
It would have been great if this young man had chosen to attend Duke but he did not. I wish him the best at UNC. I am assuming that he is a fabulous person as I am partial to Midwesterners. But the only thing I did not like is that he made it into such a big deal. My favorite character trait is humility. These young ballplayers realize what a big deal they are. I just hope that it does not go to his head. Regardless, I am certain that the Duke team will beat UNC in the years to come.