Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Sometime after 4 o’clock Eastern Friday afternoon, Harrison Barnes is going to make some college basketball program very happy by announcing on ESPNU.
We don’t know which program because Barnes is keeping his cards very close to the vest.
Barnes, ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2010 by Rivals and out of Ames (Iowa) High, will announce from among Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and hometown Iowa State.
The smart money says it’s either Duke or North Carolina.
“I would say I’ve just scratched the surface of how deep that lies,” Barnes told the Des Moines Register in reference to the hatred between those two Tobacco Road programs. “I kind of expected it would be that way, because they’re two of the top programs in the country and they’re only miles apart.”
The 6-foot-6 Barnes has connections to both schools, He and Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick guard Kyrie Irving are very tight, with Irving referring to Barnes as his “big brother” when he recently announced for Duke.
“I’ll let the Duke coaching staff handle that,” Irving told ESPNU. “Harrison’s like a big brother to me. We talk all the time, but mainly it’s not about Duke. He’s his own man and he’s going to make his own decision and whatever decision he makes I’m going to be happy for him.”
Barnes also has a friendship with North Carolina commit Kendall Marshall and visited the Carolina campus the weekend they had their alumni game featuring none other than Michael Jordan.
Fun,” the 6-foot-6 Barnes wrote in a text after that visit. “The atmosphere. The past and present were all together and it was fun to think of being part of a tradition like that.”
Brian McLawhorn, publisher of Devils Illustrated.com, told the Des Moines Register there might be an epic meltdown if Barnes picks North Carolina over Duke.
“That would be an end-of-the-world scenario,” McLawhorn said.
The potential end-of-the-world is only a few hours away now…
BIG VISITS ON TAP
Several of the highest profile players in the Class of 2010 will take visits this weekend as a prelude to likely signing n the spring:
**Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton guard Josh Selby visits Indiana. He is also looking at Kentucky, Kansas, Miami and Syracuse.
“We’re going to sign late, because it’s only fair to give every school that he’s interested in an opportunity,” Selby’s mother, Maeshon Witherspooon, told USA Today. “We’re going to visit Indiana this week, and we’re working on setting a date to visit Kentucky and Syracuse.”
**Oak Hill (Va.) shooting guard Doron Lamb will visit UConn this weekend (Saturday-Monday) and will likely sign late. He has visited Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma and may still visit Arizona.
**Brandon Knight, the nation’s No. 1 prospect out of Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, will visit Florida this weekend. He has been to Kentucky, Kansas and UConn and appears to be signing late.
**Dix Hills (NY) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris heads to Maryland today and Georgia Tech next week. He has already seen Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville and West Virginia. His father says he will sign Nov. 18 and announce Nov. 19.
BEYOND THE X’S AND O’S CLINIC
The Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, N.J. will host a clinic called “Beyond the X’s and O’s” on Nov. 20 from 8:30-noon. The speakers include former Nets coach Butch Beard, Rutgers men’s coach Fred Hill, Montclair State coach Ted Fiore and Seton Hall women’s coach Phyllis Mangina. All coaches will receive four hours of professional in-service credit. For more info contact David Kaplan at [email protected]
(Photo courtesy AP)
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Sometime after 4 o’clock Eastern Friday afternoon, Harrison Barnes is going to make some college basketball program very happy by announcing on ESPNU.
We don’t know which program because Barnes is keeping his cards very close to the vest.
Barnes, ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2010 by Rivals and out of Ames (Iowa) High, will announce from among Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and hometown Iowa State.
The smart money says it’s either Duke or North Carolina.
“I would say I’ve just scratched the surface of how deep that lies,” Barnes told the Des Moines Register in reference to the hatred between those two Tobacco Road programs. “I kind of expected it would be that way, because they’re two of the top programs in the country and they’re only miles apart.”
The 6-foot-6 Barnes has connections to both schools, He and Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick guard Kyrie Irving are very tight, with Irving referring to Barnes as his “big brother” when he recently announced for Duke.
“I’ll let the Duke coaching staff handle that,” Irving told ESPNU. “Harrison’s like a big brother to me. We talk all the time, but mainly it’s not about Duke. He’s his own man and he’s going to make his own decision and whatever decision he makes I’m going to be happy for him.”
Barnes also has a friendship with North Carolina commit Kendall Marshall and visited the Carolina campus the weekend they had their alumni game featuring none other than Michael Jordan.
Fun,” the 6-foot-6 Barnes wrote in a text after that visit. “The atmosphere. The past and present were all together and it was fun to think of being part of a tradition like that.”
Brian McLawhorn, publisher of Devils Illustrated.com, told the Des Moines Register there might be an epic meltdown if Barnes picks North Carolina over Duke.
“That would be an end-of-the-world scenario,” McLawhorn said.
The potential end-of-the-world is only a few hours away now…
BIG VISITS ON TAP
Several of the highest profile players in the Class of 2010 will take visits this weekend as a prelude to likely signing n the spring:
**Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton guard Josh Selby visits Indiana. He is also looking at Kentucky, Kansas, Miami and Syracuse.
“We’re going to sign late, because it’s only fair to give every school that he’s interested in an opportunity,” Selby’s mother, Maeshon Witherspooon, told USA Today. “We’re going to visit Indiana this week, and we’re working on setting a date to visit Kentucky and Syracuse.”
**Oak Hill (Va.) shooting guard Doron Lamb will visit UConn this weekend (Saturday-Monday) and will likely sign late. He has visited Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma and may still visit Arizona.
**Brandon Knight, the nation’s No. 1 prospect out of Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, will visit Florida this weekend. He has been to Kentucky, Kansas and UConn and appears to be signing late.
**Dix Hills (NY) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris heads to Maryland today and Georgia Tech next week. He has already seen Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville and West Virginia. His father says he will sign Nov. 18 and announce Nov. 19.
BEYOND THE X’S AND O’S CLINIC
The Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, N.J. will host a clinic called “Beyond the X’s and O’s” on Nov. 20 from 8:30-noon. The speakers include former Nets coach Butch Beard, Rutgers men’s coach Fred Hill, Montclair State coach Ted Fiore and Seton Hall women’s coach Phyllis Mangina. All coaches will receive four hours of professional in-service credit. For more info contact David Kaplan at [email protected]
(Photo courtesy AP)
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
