Is Harrison Barnes Backing Away From Duke?

The NBAPA Top 100 Camp is one of the most prestigious sporting events for high school basketball players. Given the nature of the event, there is generally a significant amount of recruiting talk among players, coaches, analysts, and the media. I am happy to report that this year is no different, and that some of the talk has centered around top Duke target Harrison Barnes.

Earlier in the week Duke fans were thrown for a loop when a St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter stated Kansas was in the lead to land Harrison Barnes. However, the “news” was quickly dispatched as a rumor as there was no factual evidence supporting the one sentence post. Additionally, college basketball fans in Minnesota were quick to point out that the reporter who posted the news often writes “tidbit columns” based on the latest “buzz”.

The question remains then, where does Harrison Barnes stand in his recruitment? Given the report discussed above, Duke fans are naturally on the edge of their seats right now. Following close behind are Kansas fans (believing the report is good news) and UNC fans (eagerly awaiting a visit to Chapel Hill from Barnes next week). The good news for all of these fan-bases is that there are some updates coming out of the NBAPA Camp.

Although I have not spoken to Barnes directly I can report the latest news based on discussions he’s had with various coaches, reporters, and analysts.

1) Barnes remains committed to finding a school that will serve him well both academically and athletically. A school with a strong business program is definitely a draw for him as he continues to assert that he is looking for a career in business when he eventually finishes with basketball.

2) 12 schools remain on Barnes official list. He plans on visiting most if not all of them (note that he has already visited some). The recruiting process is not a race for Barnes and he will not make a decision until he has visited all the schools which he feels are necessary, and has the information that he desires. Basically, he is adamant about doing what is best for him to make the right choice and not worried about much else.

3) Although the official list is 12 schools and Barnes insists publicly that he does not have any leaders, the consensus among many of the analysts here is that Kansas, Duke, UNC, Iowa State, and Minnesota are closer to the top of the list with UCLA, Oklahoma, and Stanford in the second tier. No timetable for his decision currently exists and Harrison is definitely open to taking several official visits to these schools if he needs to. Some experts also believe that Harrison will further cut his list down this summer.

So what are Duke’s chances of landing Barnes? To be honest, it seems that they still have a very realistic shot at this point in time. It is impossible to tell exactly what Barnes is thinking and he has been reluctant to publicly comment on his leaders (this is standard procedure for recruits). That said, Duke looks to be in a good position with Barnes still. In the past he has said that he enjoyed talking with the Duke staff and has a decent relationship with them. Additionally, it is well known that Barnes has taken 2 trips to visit Duke and there are conflicting reports of a third coming next week after his visit to UNC. A third visit to Duke would almost certainly indicate that they are in good shape with Barnes. Finally, 2010 Duke commitments Josh Hairston and Andre Dawkins are both relatively good friends with Barnes. While this does not guarantee a Duke commitment in certainly does not hurt their chances.

Despite these facts there are some words of caution for Duke fans. First off, don’t read too much into Harrison wearing a Duke tee-shirt at the Duke-UNC game earlier this year, Barnes insists there is no hidden meaning. Also, Duke and Stanford fans may want to be a little weary of Harrison’s interest in potentially getting a business degree as neither school offers undergraduate business programs. Of course he could attend one of the graduate programs some day or pursue a similar major such as economics. (Side Note to UNC fans – UNC’s undergraduate business program is ranked 12th in the nation, this is probably good news for your team). Recently some rumors have also popped up that Barnes may want to stay close to home. If this is truly a major factor then Iowa State, Kansas, and Minnesota could benefit from their proximity to Harrison’s hometown.

In the end, there is no way to tell exactly which way Harrison is currently leaning. I would caution anyone against reading too much into his recruitment. For now we are all going to have to enjoy the Barnes recruiting saga.

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