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The Dagger

Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:30 am EDT

Duke, UNC comically battle over Harrison Barnes

By Eamonn Brennan

Former South Carolina coach Dave Odom apparently does a podcast with Buster Sports. Being former USC coach Dave Odom, he hears the sort of insider college basketball rumors that you and I aren't always privy to, even though we consume and produce college basketball media all day. And the latest, which Odom discusses here, is what he calls an "unsubstantiated" but consistently correlated rumor about Coach K and Coach Roy's battle over 2010's star recruit, Ames, Iowa guard Harrison Barnes.

According to Odom, Coach K flew from Durham, N.C., to visit with Barnes, at which point he probably got, like, Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng or Elton Brand on the phone, and then worked really hard to convince Barnes to commit to Duke and end this process for good. "I don't just want to prepare you for basketball ... I want to prepare you for life," and all that. To which Barnes says: sounds good, but I just need to talk with North Carolina again. So he calls UNC. Roy Williams isn't in the office, but his staffers find him and arrange for him to jet to Ames immediately, which he does. Grown men spending thousands (millions?) flying private across the country at the drop of a teenager's hat -- this is basketball recruiting in 2010. And there's no way around it.

Anyway, here's hoping Coach K ran into Williams at the charter terminal or something. Awk-ward. And then Williams could have done the whole Gran Torino fake gun point thing. Get off my lawn! Of basketball talent! Or maybe it was more like Matt Moore's GIF.

What Barnes will eventually decide is still up in the air. The last time we saw him, he was being wined and dined at the UNC Alumni Game, which had to be about the most impressive experience a basketball recruit -- or anyone familiar with the name Michael Jordan -- could have. If it was me, I would have committed to UNC on the spot. But I'm not Harrison Barnes. We're just both Iowans, is all. (Woo, Iowa!) Speaking of which, being that we're both from Iowa, I have something a man-crush on Mr. Barnes, which is why it's sort of disappointing that he won't be attending Iowa State. And I don't even like the Cyclones; I just want to keep Barnes in Iowa forever. Now I know how Indiana basketball fans always feel.

Related: ACC Basketball, Recruiting

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16 Comments

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  1. Karl Marx
    1. Posted by Karl Marx Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:46 am EDT

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    Stay Home, ISU.
  2. Jeff
    2. Posted by Jeff Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:06 pm EDT

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    It's not possible for this story to be true, because Roy Williams's plane departed for Iowa before Coach K had even met with Barnes.
    The meeting between Williams and Barnes was set up prior to Coach K's visit.
  3. KG
    3. Posted by KG Tue Oct 06, 2009 1:11 pm EDT

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    Yeah, what Jeff said. The visit was set up in advance, though it is a disappointment that the weasel was allowed to do that.
  4. Royal Stallion
    4. Posted by Royal Stallion Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:22 pm EDT

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    Maybe he just saw Jordan's hall of fame speech and he is thinking, "Man, I better not go to UNC or I will end up as a selfish, spoiled, egotistical, ***hole like him."
    Or maybe he will do to Duke because he simply wants a top notch college education at the same time as playing for a title contender every year.
  5. JimiD
    5. Posted by JimiD Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:58 pm EDT

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    Duke is only a Title contender for only the ACC tournament and nothing more.
    They repeatedly flameout early in the NCAA's . Also, K is practically dead to Brand and all of the other guys from that freshman class of 1998 because of his selfish Duke first attitude. Lastly, how did all of that Duke talent do in the pros ?
  6. Doctor Mu
    6. Posted by Doctor Mu Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:41 am EDT

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    Roy's visit to Ames Iowa was planned days in advance. Barnes wanted another visit with UNC. Williams insisted on the last day for in-homes. This entire article is speculative, and not accurate.
  7. Matt
    7. Posted by Matt Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:12 pm EDT

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    Title contender! ha!
  8. sas
    8. Posted by sas Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:41 pm EDT

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    Both programs will do just fine with or without Barnes! However, it would be nice to see him play in the ACC and preferrably at UNC.
  9. Jimmy
    9. Posted by Jimmy Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:53 am EDT

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    Maybe he just saw Jordan's hall of fame speech and he is thinking, "Man, I better not go to UNC or I will end up as a selfish, spoiled, egotistical, ***hole like him."
    Or maybe he will do to Duke because he simply wants a top notch college education at the same time as playing for a title contender every year.
    So when did UNC become an institution of a 2nd rate education ? Also, what does "Or maybe be will do to Duke" mean ? Do you mean "maybe he will go to Duke" ? Why would he choose to go to a school that has a great regular season only to flame out in the post season ? Why would he not go with the best college basketball program on the planet right now ? Why would he not go with the best recruiter in the game year in and year out ? Why would he not go with the school that has the better pro alumni ? Do I really need to go on ?
  10. david
    10. Posted by david Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:13 pm EDT

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    I love how everyone things duke has a better education than UNC. But forbes has UNC at 68th and duke at 104th. Is this duke math that the 104 is better the the 68th ranking is better. I get it number what ever you ended was better than number 1 and national champions. duke math.http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/94/colleges-09_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank_3.html
  11. bill
    11. Posted by bill Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:05 am EDT

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    yes lets use forbes when just about everyone else uses us news and world report. the same forbes report which ranked dartmouth at 98 and colby college at 24. the rankings use reports from rate my professor which is anything but official considering many students don't actually rate the teachers. so yes you can use forbes and i'll use world report where duke is at 10 and unc at 28. unc is a great institution especially for a public school, but duke is world class.
  12. david
    12. Posted by david Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:01 pm EDT

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    Everyone else being who? I got this link off yahoo. Didn't see us news on there and yahoo is word wide so i take it everyone is a small numer of people.
  13. WayneS
    13. Posted by WayneS Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:50 am EDT

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    Today, a survey came out stating that DUKE is the 14th rated university in the world. The heels were in the sixties or seventies. In addition to that, huckleberry hound and his puppies all suck.
  14. dynamicfart169
    14. Posted by dynamicfart169 Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:22 pm EDT

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    Go Duke
  15. blue balls
    15. Posted by blue balls Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:05 pm EST

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    duke has had a few bad years but still continues to contend in the acc for first and yet everyone forgets about the unc downfall when guthierage was there or how bout the dauratey years
    yall have been there to just we didnt go to the nit
    and how r yall going to do this year with no point
  16. blue balls
    16. Posted by blue balls Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:08 pm EST

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    ohh and who is this guy saying that coach k is on roys turf
    k has been recruiting barnes for like 3 years
    roy just jumped on the train so know your facts.

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