UCLA Target for 2010: Harrison Barnes 6-8 209 SF

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Harrison Barnes
Hometown Ames, IA
High School Ames High School
Ranked #1 High School Player Class of 2010
Position rank Small Forward # 1
Height 6'8"
Weight 209 lbs.

Scouts, Inc.-ESPN College Men's Basketball Recruiting
Evaluation

July, 2009: Barnes had some dominate possessions today (LeBron James Skills Academy). He displayed all around scoring ability. He knocked down open three's, attacked the lane and finished through contact and hit the mid range pull up. Barnes is a silky smooth player. He doesn't waste motion or energy. He never lets the defense speed him up. He simply takes his time and makes scoring plays repeatedly and competes on both ends of the floor. Not flashy just productive. Barnes length and smooth stroke allows him to knock down shots over smaller defenders with ease and he does a great job setting up his mid range jumper with a nice shot fake to raise the defender. He is a good rebounder on both ends and has the ability to lead the break and go coast to coast. Good ball handler and passer when he draws multiple defenders. Smart defender that uses a safe distance from live dribbles to keep the ball in front of him and does a great job of using his length and athletic ability to contest shots. Explosive above the rim finisher in transition with excellent hang time and concentration on the rim in the lane. Smooth skilled wing. (more...)

Ames' Barnes cuts college list to 6, including ISU
1:27 PM
Posted: Monday, August 24, 2009
Sioux City Journal

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The mother of Ames, Iowa, basketball star Harrison Barnes says he has narrowed his list of potential college choices to six schools.

Shirley Barnes says her son, considered by many the top basketball player in the Class of 2010, is considering North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State.

She says Barnes will make an official visit to North Carolina on the first weekend of September and to Duke the weekend of Oct. 23.

Barnes' visits to Kansas, Oklahoma and UCLA are still being arranged. Barnes, a senior at Ames High, won't make an official visit to Iowa State since he lives just a mile from campus.

Shirley Barnes also says she doesn't believe her son will make a decision before the early signing period ends in November.

Harrison Barnes Narrows List of Colleges
WHO.tv Des Moines
August 24, 2009

Ames High School basketball star Harrison Barnes has cut his college choice list to six and an Iowa school is on the list.

Harrison's mother, Shirley, tells Channel 13's Keith Murphy her son will visit the following schools this fall: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Iowa State -- though he's already familiar with Iowa State, Shirley Barnes works there.

Harrison Barnes is considered by many to be the #1 high school recruit in America. As a Junior, he led Ames to a perfect season and state championship this past season.

Harrison Barnes: Now We Are Six
By John Naughton
Des Moines Register
August 24, 2009

Ames basketball star Harrison Barnes announced his top six college candidates.

I don’t think any Iowa high school basketball player has ever had a list of finalists like this: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Each school offers its own set of advantages.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams did well with former Iowa preps Raef LaFrentz, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. The Tarheels are the defending NCAA champs.

Duke has one of the nation’s top programs. Academically, the school’s one of the best on Barnes’ list.

Kansas offers an elite program that is closer to home than the coastal schools. Iowans Collison, LaFrentz and Hinrich all followed their Jayhawk careers with NBA ones.

UCLA offers a rich tradition and a program that is thriving.

Oklahoma is an intriguing school on the list. The Sooners went 30-6 last year and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. The program doesn’t have the dynasty-type stature of some of the others, but there’s no question the team’s on a roll.

Iowa State is the most talked-about program on Barnes’ list. Some argue that he’s simply including the Cyclones because they’re his hometown school and that his mom works for the university.

He does have some deep ties to Iowa State. Among them, his Ames High teammate Doug McDermott’s dad is the coach.

Iowa high school elite stars seem to have done pretty well when they ventured to Kansas or went to Ames. I think Collison, LaFrentz and Hinrich are all happy with their choices — but Fred Hoiberg has never looked back on picking the Cyclones.

So who do you think Barnes will pick?

Harrison Barnes full of praise for schools on his list
By John Naughton
Des Moines Register
August 25, 2009

Harrison Barnes will take his first official college visit when he travels to NCAA champion North Carolina over the Labor Day weekend.

Barnes, the Ames basketball star who is considered by many to be the nation's top high school recruit, spoke to The Des Moines Register on Tuesday about the six schools that he'll consider.

He said he expects the schools to try to wow him. He said he plans to make his final choice after the high school season ends.

"Right now the biggest surprise will be when they pull out all the stops and they're trying to land me," Barnes said.

Barnes announced his decision to cut his list of finalists to six this week. The candidates: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and UCLA.

He'll travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., home of the team that cut down the nets as the NCAA champion last season.

Barnes said he'll pick away at his other visits. He's allowed five official visits by the NCAA, and plans to make an unofficial visit to Iowa State.

"I'm taking it one visit at a time," said Barnes, who has already made unofficial visits to several schools.

He gave the Register an analysis of his top six schools:

— North Carolina: "I was a big Michael Jordan fan. After visiting there, the university really stands on its own."

— Duke: "They have a great education. They have a great business school that could set me up after basketball."

- Kansas: "It's close to home and there's a great tradition there. Coach Bill Self has great player-coach relations."

— Oklahoma: "They're one of the hottest stocks right now. They've been bringing in great recruits. They definitely have a lot of my interest."

— UCLA: "They've been in three Final Fours in the last four years. They know how to win."

— Iowa State: "They've been bringing in some big- time players."

More Thoughts About Harrison Barnes
by Mark Kieffer
Clone Chronicles
Aug 24, 2009 7:28 PM CDT

After the latest update from Harrison Barnes, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what we've learned, what we already knew, and what happens next. In short, it's crazy trying to predict decisions a 17 year old guy is making (even a very bright one).

I was able to catch the last part of Harrison Barnes' interview this afternoon on the Murph & Andy Show on KXnO. Here's what I heard:

- He is not planning on committing anywhere until April (instead of the early signing period in November)
- ISU is still being considered. You don't live about a mile away from campus and not consider playing at home
- He is trying to arrange his visit to North Carolina over labor day weekend, and Duke in late October
- He is not planning on trimming the list again to a final two or three (at least not publicly).
- After thinking all day and taking the latest news in consideration, here is how I think of each school's chances:

Barnes has said in the past he's looking for a school that has good academics (particularly in business), and a legitimate shot at a National Championship. So here we go!

UCLA: Great program, good academics, but the location is far away. It's a beautiful campus, and sounds more of a destination visit than a serious recruiting trip, but who knows? It's the farthest on the list from home, and they tend to get less exposure nationally for an elite team. The weird thing about visiting college campuses, however, is how sometimes your lowest choice can turn into your top choice.

For Mark Kiefer's complete breakdown of Harrison Barnes' Final 6 schools, go to Clone Chronicles .