Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 10:11 am  |  39 responses

Harrison Barnes is on the Verge

Our Diary writer gets ready to announce; and a few other thoughts for a Thursday.

by Ryan Jones

Harrison Barnes called me the other night. This is not unusual: For seven or eight years now, I’ve been the guy who coordinates our Basketball Diary, meaning I’m the guy who calls and texts and emails and otherwise harasses guys like Harrison to get their thoughts together for a monthly diary entry. It’s often a pain in the ass, because 17- and 18-year-old basketball phenoms tend to get a lot of phone calls from media guys, and they don’t always feel like talking, let alone talking about a lot of the same things over and over again.

In that sense, Harrison Barnes is no different. In a lot of other ways, though, he’s one of the more unique dudes I’ve dealt with at this level. Here’s an example: The other night, he called me because he needed my email address (which he already had, but hey) to add my name to the email press release promoting his upcoming college announcement. It’s a small thing, but the fact that the consensus No. 1 high school player in America is making these calls himself, out of a sense of responsibility to the media who cover him regularly, well, it’s pretty cool.

It’s also while it’ll really suck if he goes to Duke, because I really want to root for the kid.

I don’t know that Harrison is going to Duke. I have no idea where he’s going—I honestly don’t even have a hunch, and refreshingly for a kid of his caliber this late in the game, no one else really seems to know, either—other than that it’s going to be one of Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma or UCLA. He’s set to announce Friday at 4 p.m., and if you’re interested, you can catch it live on ESPNU.

Couple other things I’d like to share.

1. I’d like to apologize for doubting Brandon Jennings. Wait, I didn’t? You mean while most of the media were calling him a “cautionary tale” and predicting failure, I had his back in, like, three… different… columns? Oh. That’s my bad then. Keep it up, kid.

2. SLAM has never done a great job of covering high school cross-country. That changes today, thanks to Chad Hampton from North Central (S.C.) High School. Last week, Chad won the small-school cross-country state championship.

Why do we care?

Because he ran in f*cking JORDANS.

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If this kid doesn’t make the KICKS Hall of Fame, I quit.


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  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 10:12 am
    For the record, that is the greatest photo in Slamonline history, and “SLAM has never done a great job of covering high school cross-country” might be the best sentence I’ve ever written. Good day.

  • Tzvi Twersky Posted: Nov.12 at 10:29 am
    Good ish.

  • niQ Posted: Nov.12 at 10:44 am
    LOL This was hilarious. I loved the Brandon Jennings part too. “Wait, I didn’t?” HAHAHAH. And good looks no that kid with the J’s.

  • niQ Posted: Nov.12 at 10:44 am
    “on that kid”

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Nov.12 at 11:06 am
    Awesome stuff, thanks. We heard some pretty strong rumors that Harrison is NOT going to Duke. I’ll root for him regardless, but I thought you’d like that little tidbit.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.12 at 11:15 am
    If the cross country kid is not in the next Jordan Brand commerical it’ll be MJ’s biggest mistake since Kwame Brown.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 11:24 am
    Heard that too, Ben, but I don’t want to jinx it. Of course, he was also wearing an ISU sweatshirt the other day, so who knows…

  • Ed Posted: Nov.12 at 12:00 pm
    You talk about how different he is and how special he is but it is a good possibility he picks Duke. There must be a good reason for him to be strongly considering the Blue Devils. Maybe you should find out what they are instead talking about how bad it would suck if he chooses them because clearly you have some issues bashing one of the best programs in the country.

  • GC Posted: Nov.12 at 12:39 pm
    What is the source of the not going to Duke rumors?

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 12:49 pm
    Yeah, Ed! Tell ‘em!

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 12:55 pm
    Wait, were you talking to me? I get confused so easily sometimes.

  • Ed Posted: Nov.12 at 12:59 pm
    I’m talking to you Ryan. You call yourself a journalist or something close to that affect. You know what sucks? I googled news on Harrison and made the mistake of clicking on this little piece you wrote and then took my mistake a step further and posted a response. Does anyone even read Slam? I thought about reading it a time or two but I’m glad I didn’t. Keep coordinating diaries Ryan. Your doing a great job!

  • Ray Posted: Nov.12 at 1:19 pm
    Can’t you think of another school to hate? Right off the top of my head I can think of UConn (cheaters), UK (cheaters for many years), USC (bought lock, stock, and barrel), and UNC (because they have been winning a lot lately). Being against Duke is so 2005.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 2:08 pm
    Ed: You make a lot of mistakes. Or something close to that affect.
    Ray: No, I can’t. That is the dumbest question anyone has ever asked me.

  • Ed Posted: Nov.12 at 2:22 pm
    I think Slam should start covering high school cross-country and I know a guy who is real good at harassing 16 and 17 year old phenoms…Maybe a spinoff magazine…A good title…RUN….Chief Editor:Ryan Jones

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 2:28 pm
    I think Ed likes me. Oh, I think he likes me…

  • Ray Posted: Nov.12 at 3:45 pm
    As opposed to the dumbest thing you ever said, which was where I walked in.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 3:53 pm
    You guys are like a tag-team of suck. Please never leave.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 3:54 pm
    The idea that someone could so easily narrow down the dumbest thing I’ve ever said. The very IDEA.

  • A Gentry Posted: Nov.12 at 4:22 pm
    Typical Duke hater at Slam. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a hack job mag. You should write three more columns on how you guessed right on the 50/50 chance that one of the nation’s top high school pg is doing well in the NBA. Genius.

  • Greg Posted: Nov.12 at 4:42 pm
    Typical tarhole hate. Nice journalist integrity buddy, congrats on alienating the largest and most loyal fan base in college basketball and continuing Slam’s slide into irrelevance!

  • Adam Fleischer Posted: Nov.12 at 4:43 pm
    Dope stuff, Ryan. I really hope he doesn’t go to Duke, too, but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Love that pic of the dude running in J’s, too. And as for Brandon…he’s gonna keep tearing it up, and it’s gonna be too much fun to watch.

  • 9Steele9 Posted: Nov.12 at 5:04 pm
    f*ck duke

  • 9Steele9 Posted: Nov.12 at 5:30 pm
    duke sucks

  • dankNuggs Posted: Nov.12 at 5:36 pm
    He ran in Jordans, awesome! Totaly right about Brandon Jennings. people can be so stupid sometimes, everybody knew hed be this good coming out of high school, but one bad year in the completely different euro game and everybody thinks hes not going to be good anymore. I just gotta say too, the Knicks completely out did themselves when it comes to making bad decisions, Brandon Jennings is the completely perfect fit for D’Antonie’s offense, but instead they pick Jordan Hill, JORDAN HILL, c’mon i thought you fired Isiah Thomas already, why are still making decisions like that

  • Tzvi Twersky Posted: Nov.12 at 5:55 pm
    Wow. Seems like I missed a lot on this comment board. Is it over?

  • Wil Posted: Nov.12 at 6:39 pm
    Can anyone think of a reason HB WON’T go to Duke? They will easily have the strongest all-around team in the country next year if he goes there, plus two of his best friends are either already there or already committed there. Plus, Roy is cheesy.

  • Milan Posted: Nov.12 at 6:50 pm
    Haha this reminds of all the comments made on Patrick Patterson’s diary by overzealous Kentucky fans. Good old times. But these guys are picking on the wrong guy, Ryan Jones is the man!

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.12 at 9:47 pm
    And I wasn’t even trying this time, Milan. Guess the woodwork can only hold them for so long…

  • chiqo Posted: Nov.13 at 3:26 am
    wow. i love how being a journalist means you don’t get to have an opinion. i also love how people assume that one person speaks for an entire magazine. as if duke has never received any ink from slam. stop assuming, people.

  • Michael Posted: Nov.13 at 9:07 am
    haha Milan, i was thinking the exact same thing, in fact when i saw the title of the article i could almost picture the comments that would be attached, and these douchebags with harrison barnes google alerts didnt let me down. Love the photo as well. Good stuff Ryan.

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Nov.13 at 9:31 am
    blablabla what’s with all the hate? I read this article, smiled at the last part, and that’s it. We don’t need to discuss everything like a bunch of housewives watching the Huge O (prah).

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.13 at 9:37 am
    Gerard: Shhhhhhh. Conflict leads to page hits! Don’t spoil the fun!

  • Anton Posted: Nov.13 at 12:48 pm
    Gerard is such a Samantha.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.13 at 1:20 pm
    If that reference is what I think it is, we may have to ban Anton for life.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Nov.13 at 4:24 pm
    Oh, you poor Dookies.

  • runngun22 Posted: Nov.13 at 8:30 pm
    It’s not funny, Ryan. This is a sad, sad day in the Duke world. Our title hopes for next year just got burned at the stake. Just imagine…Irving, Curry, Singler (if he stayed), the Plumlees, Dawkins, and Barnes. It would have been damn near perfect. Anyways, I’m still a huge fan of SLAM even though, by the looks of these comments, they are a bunch of Duke haters because you said so, Ryan.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Signing Day Showdown Posted: Jan.29 at 2:02 pm
    [...] Smith told SLAM that he’s down to Duke, UConn, and Georgetown…and that Harrison Barnes’ looming college decision (Barnes is considering Duke) had zero effect as to why he’s waiting til the spring to [...]

  • brittany Posted: Mar.15 at 8:10 am
    chad is a dufus!!!!!!! hahahahaa look at that sexy negro throwig up the black power sign!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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