Harrison Barnes, the nation’s top high school prospect in the class of 2010, seemingly has his pick of any basketball powerhouse he wants, and already has Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams fighting for him. So would he really pick Iowa State? That’s the question being asked since he was seen wearing that school’s sweatshirt, creating quite the Cyclone of reaction.
Harrison Barnes To ... Iowa State?
Now everyone and their grandma in Central Iowa thinks Barnes is coming to Iowa State. Hell, I was on Cyclonefanatic where some people are saying that “Roy Williams looked pissed, so maybe Barnes told him he wasn’t coming?”... Ugh. Like anyone really knows what Roy Williams could possibly be thinking...
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I have no idea what the whole sweatshirt ordeal is. I mean the guy has lived in Ames his whole life, and it’s a town centered primarily on ISU. He’s bound to have some ISU gear, along with the gear of other schools recruiting him (and maybe even more). Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not. Either way, I’m not losing sleep over it.
Considering Barnes is from Ames, Iowa, and Iowa State is in Ames, it’s not a huge leap to think that maybe it was just a sweatshirt he had lying around, and nothing more. Unless ...
[Dan] Shanoff asks “given that Barnes is obviously a one-and-done player, why not stay home, be The Guy and try to do something special in-state. At Duke or UNC, he’s just another star recruit.”
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And forget about how he can help them in his one year, he can help the future of the program as well. He can take the school and put it on the mind of all the AAU and summer camp circuit players he interacts with. If he becomes what they think he might, he can be the greatest recruiting tool the school has ever seen.
Think Michael Beasley and how he put K State on the map. Barnes can do the same thing, but with more credibility because of his local upbringing.
The world of college basketball recruiting, where a simple sweatshirt can make people freak out and begin clearing space in trophy cases.
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