ISU nearly landed Harrison Barnes

[ISUCC]

wow, here's an interesting tidbit I came across in the Nov. 14th ESPN The Magazine issue.
this is their college basketball preview magazine

Quote from page 58

Harrison Barnes "I was going to camps wearing beat-up shoes and stuff. That was the first camp where they gave me free shoes and free food. I went into it with three offers: Iowa, Iowa State, and Indiana State. I was seriously considering Indiana State. When I left I had 21 schools recruiting me."

Barnes, of course, went on to play for Roy Williams and North Carolina, where he is a sophomore now. Could you even IMAGINE if we had landed him?? good lord

 

[Callmedoc]

Yeah, Creighton fans would still think they got the best player from that High school (Dougie Fresh went to the same high school)...

 

[TJames]

I remember reading an article on Scouts.com about Harrison Barnes and Indiana State..

Back when he was still in high school. He was listed then as leaning towards the Sycamores. Then all of a sudden, I started hearing Andy Katz and all these other college basketball guys talking about Harrison Barnes and him being recruited by Duke, North Carolina, etc.

 

[4Q_iu]

wow, here's an interesting tidbit I came across in the Nov. 14th ESPN The Magazine issue.
this is their college basketball preview magazine

Quote from page 58

Harrison Barnes "I was going to camps wearing beat-up shoes and stuff. That was the first camp where they gave me free shoes and free food. I went into it with three offers: Iowa, Iowa State, and Indiana State. I was seriously considering Indiana State. When I left I had 21 schools recruiting me."

Barnes, of course, went on to play for Roy Williams and North Carolina, where he is a sophomore now. Could you even IMAGINE if we had landed him?? good lord

So why did he pick UNC? I mean if we offered early, often, etc. Why not T-H?

David Moss had "bigger" offers didn't he?

 

[Sycamore624]

Yeah but with our depth would we have room for him in the rotation? lol

 

[bent20]

So why did he pick UNC? I mean if we offered early, often, etc. Why not T-H?

David Moss had "bigger" offers didn't he?

Not everyone feels loyal to a program just because if offered first. Can't blame him at all for choosing UNC. Just goes to show how good of a job we do of finding guys early.

 

[TJames]

As coaches and recruiters, that's what they try to do.....find diamonds in the rough.

unfortunately for the Sycamores, he went to those national summer camps and all the national coaches saw him play. He blew up at those camps and immediately got a lot of national attention.

Same thing happened a few years ago with Brody Boyd. He was all set to come to Indiana State, had verbally committed and then goes and plays in some national camps the summer before his senior year. Alford sees him and other Big Ten schools see him and Alford offers him to Iowa. He backed off his verbal committment and went to Iowa.

 

[landrus13]

I'd rather play at Indiana State over Iowa. Iowa hasn't been relevant in quite some time. That was a mistake by Boyd.

 

[bent20]

I'd rather play at Indiana State over Iowa. Iowa hasn't been relevant in quite some time. That was a mistake by Boyd.

That's a bit naive. Big 10 school with a decent tradition in basketball prior to Alford's arrival. Boyd wasn't good enough though to do much in the Big 10. He was above average, nothing special.

 

[landrus13]

He should have stayed at home and played for ISU. He would have had a lot better career here than what he did at Iowa. I don't think he was big enough to play in the Big Ten.

 

[Sycamore624]

Small town Dugger boy saw a chance to play in Big 10 and for Hoosier hero Alford. We didn't have a chance although he would have had a much better career at State.

 

[bent20]

Perhaps. He seems happy here now though. He stayed in Iowa after graduation.