Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

[merkpanthers]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Doug had an awesome game last night. I really liked his game and the announcers also commented that he was in the gym shooting 3's to prepare for next year. He will get a lot more playing time than Pehl and it will be great to see him in the purple and gold.

[DWadle1983]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Barnes named Sporting News Prep of the Year:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091218/SPORTS0811/91218017/1003/SPORTS020502/Harrison-Barnes-named-Sporting-News-prep-athlete-of-the-year

Like many have said, it was great to watch the repeated UNI mentions during the game.

[MediaPanther]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Here's all I can say about Barnes, as someone who wouldn't attempt to convince anyone that he's a good gauge of basketball ability:

When discussing him during this recruiting process, Barnes was described as the biggest recruit since LeBron James (who, as we all know, ultimately became the recruit who never was.) When people who know more about basketball than all of us combined say things like that, I tend to believe them.

Agree 100%. The the following is from a man who knows more about pro basketball than everyone on this board combined x1000.


And, like his team, Barnes lived up to every drop of the pregame hype. Former NBA big man Tim McCormick, who helped call the game on the Worldwide Leader, is also director of the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 camp, a showcase for the prep elite at the University of Virginia. Barnes turned up last summer and “dominated,” McCormick gushed. “He was the best player there, by far.”

But it wasn’t just Barnes’ game that stuck in McCormick’s brain. It was his drive.

“One morning, he shows up at the gym at 6:30,” McCormick recalled, chuckling, “and had a security guard open the door for him.”

McCormick’s been at the Top 100 camp for 17 years. The sight of Barnes grinding away at the crack of dawn gave him Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard flashbacks.

“From a maturity standpoint, I would say that Kobe and Dwight and Harrison Barnes were the most mature and focused on getting better that I’ve seen in that period of time,” McCormick said. “I think if he continues to work on his ball-handling and his 3-point shooting, that he has an All-Star future in the NBA.”

[Victory_For_UNI]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

I also remember these people saying that kwame brown was a sure fire hall of famer, darko milicic would be a perennial all star and Gilbert arenas would start in the all star game this year. I'm not saying the kid's (Harrison) not a great player, but let's see him do something at the next level before we crown him the next air Jordan just because these guys who "know 1000x more than me" blow smoke about a recruit like this every year.

The same goes for Doug. Yes, he had a great game where he got a lot of easy baskets against a high school team with little in the way of a sizeable big man to body him up. MVC big men and waukegan high school big men are 2 very different things, and if we expect him to step in and be a special player in year one or two, we may have our next scapegoat. Let's be excited, but not give these two all American status simply because people who make these outlandish predictions on a yearly basis think they are priceless.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Agree 100%. The the following is from a man who knows more about pro basketball than everyone on this board combined x1000.


And, like his team, Barnes lived up to every drop of the pregame hype. Former NBA big man Tim McCormick, who helped call the game on the Worldwide Leader, is also director of the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 camp, a showcase for the prep elite at the University of Virginia. Barnes turned up last summer and “dominated,” McCormick gushed. “He was the best player there, by far.”

But it wasn’t just Barnes’ game that stuck in McCormick’s brain. It was his drive.

“One morning, he shows up at the gym at 6:30,” McCormick recalled, chuckling, “and had a security guard open the door for him.”

McCormick’s been at the Top 100 camp for 17 years. The sight of Barnes grinding away at the crack of dawn gave him Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard flashbacks.

“From a maturity standpoint, I would say that Kobe and Dwight and Harrison Barnes were the most mature and focused on getting better that I’ve seen in that period of time,” McCormick said. “I think if he continues to work on his ball-handling and his 3-point shooting, that he has an All-Star future in the NBA.”

If anyone would like to read the rest of this, it can be found here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/art...in-big-on-ESPN

[9YRPLAN]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

i very well may be proven wrong, but i dont think barnes is even on the same planet as kobe or howard coming out of high school. i follow recruiting closely and I am at the age where i really saw a lot of those two in high school and followed their careers. those two are literally two of the best athletes on the planet.

[Blue42]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Here's all I can say about Barnes, as someone who wouldn't attempt to convince anyone that he's a good gauge of basketball ability:

When discussing him during this recruiting process, Barnes was described as the biggest recruit since LeBron James (who, as we all know, ultimately became the recruit who never was.) When people who know more about basketball than all of us combined say things like that, I tend to believe them.

Maybe.

Personally I think there's a lot of hyperbole with HB. He'll be a great college player and will play in the NBA.

But I don't think we know yet how good he really is. He's played a lot of ball against competition that is average small state high school talent. That is a tough way to gauge elite ability.

In two years we'll know. Until then it's a little science and a lot of kool-aid.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

Maybe.

Personally I think there's a lot of hyperbole with HB. He'll be a great college player and will play in the NBA.

But I don't think we know yet how good he really is. He's played a lot of ball against competition that is average small state high school talent. That is a tough way to gauge elite ability.

In two years we'll know. Until then it's a little science and a lot of kool-aid.

You have to remember that recruiting really happens at AAU tournaments across the country now, where players like Barnes compete against teams that are significantly better than any HS team.

[Victory_For_UNI]

Re: Ames vs. Waukegan (ESPN Thursday 8PM)

But they're still high schoolers. 75% of acc players (probably an underestimate) are better than the players he's playing against. As I said, he is very talented but to already anoint him an NBA all star is a bit of a stretch IMO.