UNC Basketball: Harrison Barnes: Phenom or Bust
When high school superstar Harrison Barnes made the formal commitment to join the UNC Tar Heels in 2010, the team had high hopes that they would be adding the next freshman phenomenon to their roster. With such an array of talented players already on the team, head coach Roy Williams was hopeful that the acquisition would be enough to put his Heels over the top. While Barnes has been solid for the Heels thus far in his young career, he has yet to develop a true identity with the team.
Through several of the previous college basketball seasons, freshman players have gone straight from high school to playing at a dominate level for their respective universities at the Division I level. The stretch started during the 2006-2007 season, when a lanky small forward by the name of Kevin Durant joined the Texas Longhorns. During his one and only season in the college ranks, Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on his way to winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award. The next season, forward Michael Beasley followed suit with the Kansas State Wildcats. He put up equally impressive numbers averaging 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per contest. The following year during the 2009-2010 season, it was point guard John Wall of the Kentucky Wildcats that took over the reigns as freshman star. Wall averaged a less impressive 16.6 points but was also able to put up 6.5 assists per game.
I’m just getting starting Tar Heel fans, more after the break
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When Barnes made the commitment to play for Carolina, many fans and media members alike predicted that he would be the player to continue the recent stretch of freshman dominance. While Barnes has certainly shown that he possesses the necessary skillset to make the same impact as these aforementioned players, he has yet to do so consistently. During his freshman year, Barnes put up very respectable numbers averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Now, during his sophomore season, he has raised his scoring efforts even more to 17.4 points per contest. However, as well as he has played in his college career, the numbers clearly indicate that he has not been the kind of offensive force that the Tar Heels were hoping for. While the season statistics do speak to this point alone, the most telling example of Barnes potential in comparison to his actual production can be found in his last two games. During the Tar Heels last outing against the Virginia Tech Hokies, Barnes was spectacular during a 27 point performance. On the other hand, in the game before that against the Florida State Seminoles, he was only able to muster up 15 points in a losing effort.
However, all that being said, Barnes also deserves a great deal of credit for his loyalty to both the Tar Heels, as well as himself. One thing that will forever set Barnes apart from players like Durant, Beasley, and Wall, is the fact that he had the commitment to return to school after his first season had come to an end. While many experts predicted that he would jump at the opportunity to play at the professional level, Barnes decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to school for his sophomore year. The fact that he was willing pass up on the fame and the financial stability of a top three draft pick in order to improve on his game shows that Barnes has the desire to be great.
While the expectations were notably high for a player as young as Harrison Barnes, one can’t help but wonder how the Tar Heels recent history would have been changed if they were able to acquire a player whose game resembled that of a Durant or Beasley. However, despite his inconsistency, it is still clear that he has a bright future on the horizon, both in college as well as the NBA. The real question at this point in his career is “Can Barnes carry the Heels to a National Championship?”. While the answer remains to be seen, the fact that this question can be ask of any individual player speaks volumes to their value. It will be very interesting to see how the legends of both Harrison Barnes, as well as the Tar Heels, will be altered when the 2011-2012 NCAA Basketball season comes to its eventual close.
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