Barnes and his quest for NC

I don't consider HB sleazy because he was out to create a brand. It is inconsistent, however, for folks to create a mythical teen who was humble and naive. The fact is that he knew damn well what he was doing with that circus announcement--he was cold, calculating, manipulative and decidedly unhumble.

Laying down the foundation for one's future is hardly unusual. Damn near every college graduate is doing the same thing from the time they first set foot on campus.
 
Laying down the foundation for one's future is hardly unusual. Damn near every college graduate is doing the same thing from the time they first set foot on campus.

I don't disagree with what you just said. On the flip side, people should not pretend that that was not exactly what Barnes was doing. I don't think he is sleazy. I am however tired of those who lionize him to the point that they suggest people can't be critical of his "business decisions".
 
Of one thing I am certain, when in a couple years, HBs NBA career is over he will not be movng back to ames.
 
All the vitriol toward Barnes is embarrassing. You people all act like he owed something to ISU. Like ISU was somehow entitled to his services. Unbelievable.

Why? He used and embarrassed ISU, and kicked us in the junk on national TV. I didn't care where we went, still don't. But don't play us like you did for your own benefit, and expect us to cheer for you because you happened to live in Ames, Iowa for a while.

Watching him struggle repeatedly, and choke or disappear when big games are on the line is very therapeutic for some of us. Many of us cheer Hawk losses, or Husker ones, so why shouldn't we feel good about seeing someone who used and abused us fall flat on his face?

Personally, I am glad now he never went to ISU. And for the lottery pick stuff, give me a break. Guy can't create his shot, and he doesn't really excel in many areas of his game. Last I checked, that isn't NBA material.
 
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well, at least when he does get back to ames, his head will fit through the doorways again.
I'm working on a highlight video of his last two UNC tourney games .........plan to skype it to him when he and both his friends get together this weekend.
 
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Why? He used and embarrassed ISU, and kicked us in the junk on national TV. I didn't care where we went, still don't. But don't play us like you did for your own benefit, and expect us to cheer for you because you happened to live in Ames, Iowa for a while.

Watching him struggle repeatedly, and choke or disappear when big games are on the line is very therapeutic for some of us. Many of us cheer Hawk losses, or Husker ones, so why shouldn't we feel good about seeing someone who used and abused us fall flat on his face?

Personally, I am glad now he never went to ISU. And for the lottery pick stuff, give me a break. Guy can't create his shot, and he doesn't really excel in many areas of his game. Last I checked, that isn't NBA material.
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Why? He used and embarrassed ISU, and kicked us in the junk on national TV. I didn't care where we went, still don't. But don't play us like you did for your own benefit, and expect us to cheer for you because you happened to live in Ames, Iowa for a while.

Watching him struggle repeatedly, and choke or disappear when big games are on the line is very therapeutic for some of us. Many of us cheer Hawk losses, or Husker ones, so why shouldn't we feel good about seeing someone who used and abused us fall flat on his face?

Personally, I am glad now he never went to ISU. And for the lottery pick stuff, give me a break. Guy can't create his shot, and he doesn't really excel in many areas of his game. Last I checked, that isn't NBA material.

How did he use ISU?! If anything he did us a favor by keeping us in his top 5 for as long as he did. How did that benefit him in any way?
 
Why? He used and embarrassed ISU, and kicked us in the junk on national TV. I didn't care where we went, still don't. But don't play us like you did for your own benefit, and expect us to cheer for you because you happened to live in Ames, Iowa for a while.

Watching him struggle repeatedly, and choke or disappear when big games are on the line is very therapeutic for some of us. Many of us cheer Hawk losses, or Husker ones, so why shouldn't we feel good about seeing someone who used and abused us fall flat on his face?

Personally, I am glad now he never went to ISU. And for the lottery pick stuff, give me a break. Guy can't create his shot, and he doesn't really excel in many areas of his game. Last I checked, that isn't NBA material.

How did he kick ISU in the junk on national TV? By making the choice that everyone who wasn't deluded expected him to make? He's not responsible for your temporary insanity.

As for the bolded, that's just pathetic. It's one thing to root against a player or team, but for their failures to actually be therapeutic? That's sad, and THAT is what's so embarrassing about the grudge against Barnes.
 
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How did he use ISU?! If anything he did us a favor by keeping us in his top 5 for as long as he did. How did that benefit him in any way?[/QUOTE

Some have suggested that he could have quietly let McDermott know that ISU was out of the running prior to his announcement ceremony (and also not have been practicing with the ISU basketball players at the facility the night before his announcement). Some have suggested that would have been classy and decent of him.

Others have suggested that he benefited from the appearance of a large crowd at his gala spectacle which included people suckered into coming who thought there was a chance he might choose ISU. By not ruling out ISU prior to his announcement, they suggest, he increased the size of the crowd which looked better for the cameras. It is all about appearances, after all, when one is creating a brand.

Whether those suggestions make sense to you or not, I would be really interested in your producing any tangible benefit that accrued to ISU by having been in his top 5 for so long. I don't recall any players who were influenced to sign because Barnes had included ISU in his top 5.
 
Nobody should blame him for going to UNC. It was a well thought out decision. However, I don't think it turned out for the best for him. He will always be overshadowed by greater players at UNC, and he will be forgot about after he goes pro. Too many great players have played there for him to make a lasting impact. In Ames, he would have been a legend. Look how CFH's career played out. He is an idol to every cyclone fan. People would have been talking about Barnes long after he is gone. Most cyclone fans didn't react to his decision with anger, but with a sense of disappointment that it wasn't even a hard decision for him to leave Ames because of the state of our program.
 
Gotta love all the Iowa State fans who think if Harrison was here it would have been a rebuilding for us. Greg McDermott would still be here if Harrison was here. Seriously, we would have the same coach that thought Demarcus Phillips, Erik McKnight, and Jordan Railey were better players than Doug McDermott.
 
Nobody should blame him for going to UNC. It was a well thought out decision. However, I don't think it turned out for the best for him. He will always be overshadowed by greater players at UNC, and he will be forgot about after he goes pro. Too many great players have played there for him to make a lasting impact. In Ames, he would have been a legend. Look how CFH's career played out. He is an idol to every cyclone fan. People would have been talking about Barnes long after he is gone. Most cyclone fans didn't react to his decision with anger, but with a sense of disappointment that it wasn't even a hard decision for him to leave Ames because of the state of our program.



As I wrote a few years ago, if Barnes had stayed with us, he would have been great on a bad team, which means that he would have gotten lots of personal media attention leading to good NBA prospects. However, if he chose to go to UNC in order to be the next Michael Jordan, he runs the risk of being lost in the shuffle of 5-star recruits at UNC. He lost a lot of NBA stock this weekend. I predict he will be back because he still wants to chase the dream.

Look for him to return for another year at UNC with a more aggressive style, not just shooting the ball all the time, but doing more moves to the basket.
 
As I wrote a few years ago, if Barnes had stayed with us, he would have been great on a bad team, which means that he would have gotten lots of personal media attention leading to good NBA prospects. However, if he chose to go to UNC in order to be the next Michael Jordan, he runs the risk of being lost in the shuffle of 5-star recruits at UNC. He lost a lot of NBA stock this weekend. I predict he will be back because he still wants to chase the dream.

Look for him to return for another year at UNC with a more aggressive style, not just shooting the ball all the time, but doing more moves to the basket.

Agreed. I think we may finally see the player we all expected next season. He's really needed to assert himself more, and I think he may finally be realizing that.
 
Agreed. I think we may finally see the player we all expected next season. He's really needed to assert himself more, and I think he may finally be realizing that.


Unfortunately, it will have to happen through fast breaks because the UNC offense is about ball movement and passing into a big guy. The combination of the UNC half court offense and tons of other 5-stars around will make it harder for him.

I don't know if he can do it, but that is what he must do if he wants a future as a star.