Harrison Barnes’ H.S. Hoops Diary: Official visit to Duke
Harrison Barnes is the best high school ballplayer in the country. As the 6-6 wing from Ames, Iowa, navigates through the hectic recruiting process such a title entails, he agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. After UNC, then Oklahoma, then Kansas, Barnes recaps his trip to Duke last weekend. Here’s an excerpt:
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… I got a chance to watch Duke practice, and that was a great time to see Coach K interact with the players and see how they prepare for games. I think the most impressive thing about that was the discipline. Rarely does Coach K ever have to raise his voice. He has practice timed down to a science, and he’ll just say little things and the team will respond quickly. That was really impressive to me.
After practice I had a meeting with the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions. That was really good to see what Duke’s about and get a feel for the university.
After that I got a chance to go over to Coach K’s house and have a steak and lobster dinner, which was just a really cool time. Following that I got a chance to sit with the team and watch film while they prepared for the Pfeiffer game the next day.
Then I got a chance to go out with the players and see how the other side of Carolina has a good time, and I would say that I definitely had a good time.
So Saturday morning, the day began with a meeting with the Dean of the Law School. That gave me more information about the university and the law aspect of it. Then we had a team breakfast and following that we had a team shootaround.
After that the coaching staff, my family and I had a tour of the East campus, which included the dorms, the dining halls and part of the Durham area.
One of the coolest things I got to see was the Duke Chapel, where I got a tour from a really cool guy named Oscar, who was very gesticulated about giving me the tour. He was just a really cool guy. Then we saw the rooftop of the Bell Tower, which was a powerful experience.
Following that we all went back to the basketball office and watched the highlight videos of the coaches when they were players. We especially liked Coach (Chris) Collins’ video and (Oklahoma) Coach (Jeff) Capel’s video. I’ve got to give a shout-out to Coach Capel because he surprised me with how good he was. I didn’t know that he had bounce like that!
You can read Harrison’s entire diary at HighSchoolHoop.com, where he talks about the Cameron Crazies’ courtship, sitting courtside for Duke’s exhibition game, and his thoughts going into his upcoming visit with UCLA.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Senor Tiger says:
Have fun in Durham, Harrison!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
egypt says:
gesticulated…. really?? really harrison?
October 29th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
runngun22 says:
Egypt, is Harrison Barnes not allowed to sound intelligent? I know he’s a basketball player, and it doesn’t fit the stereotype, but there is a possibility that some players out there actually care about academics and things outside basketball.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Senor Tiger says:
Unfortunately, he misused the word, but that’s the fault of his editor not of Harrison.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
kid 5 G says:
You guys should do a highschool hoop section in the magazine.
October 30th, 2009 at 6:09 am
mike says:
“Rarely does Coach K ever have to raise his voice.”
That is hilarious! If he thinks that would be the type of attitude K would display during season play, he obviously has no idea about who the guy really is, never seen the red-faced cheese-nibbler come out. If he can experience what he did at his official UNC visit and choose Duke, he obviously isn’t smart enough for UNC anyway. I personally don’t care if he comes to UNC or not (unlike all the shameless beggars at Duke) but if he does, Roy will surely make him into everything he is capable of being. If he goes to Duke, well, I hope he isn’t too shocked by his misguided idea that K “rarely raises his voice”! LOL!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:36 am
uncsuks says:
Hey Mike,
You don’t care? Way to pad your fall after Barnes slaps you in the kids. You’re a loser. Perhaps Barnes would like to actually be a part x’s and o’s instead of Roy’s style, where he just rolls the ball out there and crosses his fingers. I was at Duke all weekend, trust me, Barnes had a much better time then he was leading on.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
mike says:
Hey U (nc) suk (s),
Wow, I did not know we had a personal friend of Barnes’ on here. I guess you must be to know that he ‘had a much better time at dook than he let on.’ Hey, you should contact Sports Illustrated with that big piece of insider info. Or did Harrison tell you to keep that on the dl? LOL! I guess he just wrote a glowing tribute about his weekend at UNC and downplayed the dook visit to throw everyone off. Is that what he told you? Awesome! No, I don’t care if Barnes comes to UNC. Have you seen any record of people from UNC crying for Barnes to come there? I’ve seen several about dook students doing that. Forget that they violated NCAA recruiting rules in the process. Say what u want to about UNC. I actually understand your bitterness. What category DOESN’T UNC beat Duke in? Roy’s ’style’ has brought home 2 national championships in the last 5 yrs. Feel like you just got slapped in YOUR kids? x’s and o’s are what your mom puts on the note she packs with your lunch every day! LOL! All Barnes needs to decide if he wants to be a part of is a potential NC team (as UNC has demonstrated more than once in the recent past) and be prepared to perform well in the NBA or be a part of a team that fizzles in the Dance (as dook has demonstrated in the recent past) and have players that dreadfully underperform in the pros. And I’m a loser? Wow, sensitive much? I know, I know, as I said, I understand your bitterness. I bet you WERE at dook all weekend. I bet you were one of the masses humiliating yourself begging Barnes to come to your school (if you actually go to school there). Tell me, why is it we only see articles about Duke students shamelessly pleading with top recruits to come to school there? You never see that crap at UNC or any other school where the students have an ounce of self respect. You guys have gotten top recruits for the last several years yet still can’t make it happen. It is pitiful. And the funny thing is, it’s obvious you dookies feel like “We’re Duke. They should just GIVE us the championship for that reason alone!We’re entitled!” and then look bewildered like you can’t understand why they don’t. Newsflash: anyone could make a fortune who could buy a dookie for what everyone else thinks of them and sell them for what they think of themself. So Harrison Barnes, please go to dook so we can see what excuse they’ll come up with next for still being a suckass basketball team. For Tarheel fans, those excuses are a source of never-ending fun and amusement. Yes, u-suk, we laugh at you! And so does everyone else! LOL!
October 30th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Michael says:
@mike: Seems like you’re the sensitive one here. I don’t see many Duke fans on here posting half-page responses to other comments. Yeah, the Hansblow era was cute, but your time is about up. College basketball runs in cycles-one team has dominance and then the balance of power shifts again. Kentucky in the late 40’s. UCLA in the 60’s. Duke in the early 90’s. Florida and the Holes more recently. Not saying it’s going to happen this season, but smart money says that UNC will sink back into mediocrity within the next three to five years. Have fun using the “We’re an NC team EVERY YEAR” argument-you guys sure are “entitled” to it anyway. The real question remains: where will you be in a few years? And, with more relevance to this article-where do you think Barnes will end up?
October 30th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
mike says:
Hey Michael,
Nope, not sensitive, passionate. Just enjoy talkin about how much I love UNC and how funny I think dookies are. I could write MUCH longer columns about those 2 things. If I were a dook fan, I doubt I could put more than 2 or 3 sentences together worth saying over what’s good about dook basketball. YOu dookies have been saying “your time is about up” for years. Are you aware of this Michael? When all of our starters left after the ‘05 championship, all you dookies flooded message boards and stated how badly dook was gonna destroy UNC, that “our time was up.” I even remember some people stating how ’scared’ UNC was of dook since all our starters had left. I guess you’d have lost all your “smart money” betting on another UNC championship so soon, huh? You’d have probably lost it on the ‘05 championship as well.
Lets look at Duke’s recruiting record for the last several years:
- In 2002, JJ Redick was the #11 recruit
- 2003 they had the #2 recruit, Luol Deng
- 2004, #2 (Shaun Livingston) and #17 (Demarcus Nelson)
- 2005, #2 (Josh McRoberts) and #11 (Greg Paulus)
- 2006, #11 (Gerald Henderson) and #24 (Brian Zoubek)
- 2007, #5 (Kyle Singler)
- 2008, #16 (Elliot Williams)
- 2009, #20 (Ryan Kelley)
Look at that, all 5 star top-25 recruits. But OHHHH the ‘recruiting woes’ of dook is all I hear about.
For the record, I have never said “We’re an NC team every year.” In fact, it’s the average dook fan feels they are ‘entitled’ simply because they’re dook. It is the average dook fan who will tell you that dook has won more than 3 NCs. They are convinced that they HAD to have won more than 3, “at least 5, I believe” was what one girl said. Believe me, I’ve heard it more than once. ANd I’ve just laughed myself silly. AS I said, dookies are an endless source of amusement.
HEre is the funniest thing that Tarheel fans get a kick out of about dookies (pay attention, this is priveledged info): dookies think they are the best, that they are entitled, just because they’re dookies. They live on daddy’s credit card and don’t have a care in the world. They think they’re better than anyone because they’re rich. And they fancy themselves SO much more intellegent than any ‘tarhole’. I bet you resemble this description, Michael. In their minds they have nowhere to go but down. Tarheels are regular people who work to pay their way thru school, do not feel entitled simply because they know they aren’t rich and have no illusions about who they are in relation to others, and have pride enough never to beg a recruit to come to their school. They figure if the guy is smart enough to realize what the school can do for him, he is the right one. dookies don’t want recruits for what dook can do for them (though that’s what they blather on and on about). They desperately want a recruit who can make them relevant again. And I do mean DESPERATELY!
UNC can take an ass-whipping and hold their heads high the next day. When dook loses, if you can even find a dookie the next day, all you get from them is the many excuses for why they lost. dookies cannot rationalize losing because in their minds they are above losing.
Ok, I went off on a tangent. THIS is what really cracks me up about dookies: The incongruity between a dookie’s perception of reality and reality itself. In a dookie’s mind, they are better in every way than a tarheel. I mean, they are richer, their daddies pay more for their education, so they just HAVE to be, right? It is this simple fact that let’s UNC fans have so much fun at a dookie’s expense. Because you can almost see a dookie’s head about to explode trying to cope with their belief that “JJ Reddick is gonna be our savior” while watching a UNC freshman ruin his senior night and any chance of a NC for dook. With their belief that dook is a better bball school while the cold hard facts say otherwise. With their belief that a dook athlete is waaayy too intelligent to go to CHapel Hill and get drunk while looking at internet pics of Reggie Love’s face covered with UNC “family members” shall we say. With their belief that the Cameron Crazy coalition is the most clever college fanbase around, certainly too smart to be infiltrated by a stupid tarhole, while chating lines from their prepared cheer sheets planted by a UNC alum that have them unwittingly insulting one of their own players. With the belief that dook is a place of enlightenment and acceptance, not like the backwards ignorant throwbacks at UNC, while watching 3 of their own student body get thrown under the bus by the faculty and President of the college for rape charges all on the word of a stripper and without the slightet bit of proof. In their (the faculty’s) minds: tried, convicted, execued. With the belief that they are the be-all, end-all in college education, period, and absolutely better than any old UNC schooling, while the facts clearly support that not only is an education at UNC a far better value than one from dook, that UNC basketball players have a higher graduation rate than dook.
The other thing that cracks UNC fans up the most about dookies is linked to the first: it is the hilarious excuses you come up with when faced with the truth (apparently to KEEP your heads from exploding!)about yourselves, your school, and your place in the world. So, without further delay, let the excuses commence…
October 31st, 2009 at 4:35 pm
John Wilson says:
Wow. Mike, shut up already! I’m a UNC fan, and you’re making us look like assholes! I was at the UNC alumni game, and I distinctly remember the fans chanting Harrison’s names and displaying his jersey # on signs and posters. Get a grip. Don’t be an asshole! Harrison’s a class act. If he choose Duke over us, no biggie. Go Heels!
October 31st, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Tim says:
Wow Michael. You call yourself a UNC fan, and you don’t even know how to spell Tar Heels. It is not one word. Stop acting like a rookie. Harrison Barnes is a big deal to UNC, dook, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa State and any other school that he might consider. You do realize that if HB does chose dook, dook will instantly be one of the top 3 teams for 2010-11? Do yourself and the rest of us UNC fans a favor and stop spewing your nonsense.
November 1st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Dukie22 says:
mike dont act like its not a big deal if unc doesnt get barnes.. theyve had most of their players leave and now its not a big deal if they get the #1 recruit? UNC would have so much young talent in ‘10-’11 with him, bullock, and marshall coming in.. and if they lose him to Duke youd be seeing him with Irving, Hairston, Curry coming in and i dont think youd want to see that.
Which ever team gets HB will probably be the #1 team that year, definitely top 3 so i think it is a big deal.
Duke POTENTIAL Lineup
Irving
Curry
Barnes
Kelly
Plumlee
No UNC fan wants to see that
Hopefully duke gets him
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
mgdevil says:
To Mike the UNC literary genius.
Your rambling diatribe forgot to mention a very important or large section of the Duke fan base. Native North Carolinians who grew up loving Duke but who didn’t go to school there. We make up the largest section of the fan base not the student body or alumni that number in the 10,000’s.
Dominance on tobacco road goes in cycles, UNC is up now and has been since 2007. But Duke was dominant from 1999-2004 and had the only undefeated ACC regular season in history. Duke is on the up swing again and we’ll see who wins this year between Duke and UNC.
If Duke gets Barnes Duke will be on top for as long as he is there because with KI, Curry, Plumlee brothers, kelly and Dawkins Duke will put on the floor a team that is superior to UNC as it stands right now. UNC would have to get some more highly rated recruits to hang with that line-up
November 9th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Iowa Yankee says:
Harrison we still have hope you’ll be a Cyclone! Shock the world buddy! We wait for you with open arms!
Clone Fans
November 10th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Aaron says:
COME TO DUKE PLEASE!!! there you will have the most success
November 11th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Lighthawk says:
RCJHGOKU
rock chalk crimson & blue
November 12th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Cycsk says:
If you go to Duke, recognize that you will need to beat out some of the guys who are already there in order to play. They aren’t going to compromise just so that you get your minutes.
At Iowa State, we can guarantee minutes = exposure = NBA.