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Friday, October 16, 2009

No. 2 recruit to be in stands tonight

By Gary Bedore

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The No. 2-ranked basketball player in the high school recruiting Class of 2010 will be in the stands for tonight’s Late Night in the Phog.

He’s Harrison Barnes, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound senior small forward from Ames (Iowa) High, who according to Rivals.com analyst Shay Wildeboor “isn’t far behind” top-rated prospect Brandon Knight, a 6-3 point guard from Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“You can make a case that each player deserves to be at the top of the class,” Wildeboor said. “Barnes has very few, if any, limitations on the court.

“He (Barnes) has a smooth stroke from the outside, can put the ball on the floor and score off the bounce, can pull-up for the midrange jumper or post up a smaller defender,” Wildeboor added. “There’s a reason big-time programs like Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma and Iowa State are pushing so hard for him.

“Barnes, in the 2010 class, is as good as it gets. Thankfully for KU fans, Barnes, along with his mother, Shirley, are big fans of Bill Self and Kansas.”

KU coincidentally is also on the list of Knight, who is considering KU, UConn, Kentucky, Florida, Miami and Syracuse.

Barnes will be joined by two other uncommitted prospects in the Class of ’10 tonight. They are: Josh Selby, 6-2 combo guard from Lake Clifton High in Baltimore, and Doron Lamb, 6-4 shooting guard from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Selby — Rivals.com’s No. 4-rated player — originally committed to Tennessee before deciding to reopen his recruiting.

“He’s established himself as a big-time playmaker on the offensive end,” Wildeboor said. “While scoring is a big part of his game, it’s not his only strength. He certainly has the ability to get his teammates involved and is a very strong and aggressive on-the-ball defender. The one dimension Selby has, which can’t be taught, is toughness.”

Selby has a list of KU, Baylor, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami and Syracuse.

Lamb originally hails from Rice High in New York, which is the alma mater of former KU guard Russell Robinson. Rivals.com’s No. 21-rated player is considering KU, Oklahoma and Kentucky.

“He may be quiet off the court, but his game is anything but,” Wildeboor said. “He has the ability to stretch defenses with his outside shooting or can take the ball to the basket. Lamb is the type of player that’s going to provide instant offense, especially from the outside.”

Also at Late Night will be Royce Woolridge, a 6-3 combo guard from Phoenix Sunnyslope High. Woolridge has orally committed to KU.

“It definitely will be a celebration,” Woolridge said of his official visit to KU. “I can’t wait for the experience — to see the school and get in the college mode. My cousins, uncle (who live in the area) all think the fieldhouse is awesome.”

Josiah Turner, a 6-3 junior guard from Sacramento (Calif.) High, and J.P. Tokoto, a 6-5 soph from Menomonee Falls (Wis.) High, are also slated to attend.

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Comments

derringer29 (anonymous) says...

welcome to the mecca of collage basketball boys--you are the choosen ones- may the fog be with you

October 16, 2009 at 4:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Brock (anonymous) says...

Sad that the Journal-World is insulting Barnes. Number 2 - forget it! I have watched both Knight and Barnes (and much of the 2010 Class) and Barnes is head & shoulders above any other player. He is going to be a terrific college player...for a year or two.

October 16, 2009 at 6:21 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JJHawq (anonymous) says...

Big Time Program - Iowa State. That was nice of you, Gary.

October 16, 2009 at 8:08 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkinmullen (anonymous) says...

If Harrison is coming to late night he is going to sign. Just make sure if any of us is sitting by him that we really pump up KU, although that is not hard to do. Also lets get all the rest of these guys as well.

October 16, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says...

I find it a very good sign that Yahoo Top 150 have Harrison with high interest in Duke and North Carolina and KU virtually off his radar!! He's virtually ACC right now, according to them!!

It's a good sign because Yahoo is almost always WRONG!!!

October 16, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says...

PS Is it a NCAA violation for current Jayhawk Moms to call potential future Jayhawk Moms????? The mom network is a very, very powerful force.

October 16, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkerjoel (anonymous) says...

Coming to Late Night is a great sign that they are considering KU, but most of these guys likely see themself as a OAD. Although we know there is no better place to play than KU, if immediate playing time is a concern, they are less likely to come here. Also, who knows what kind of snake oil the Caliparis & Donovans of the recruiting world have fed them regarding playing time. And lets be real, playing at a tradition rich program like KU is probably not their top priority. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to have the best recruits every year, but if they don't come here, their loss is greater than ours.

October 16, 2009 at 9:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Jaminrawk (anonymous) says...

Hopefully Barnes, Selby and Lamb just look at each other and think, "hmmmm, KU is gonna need a pg, sg and f next year ...."

October 16, 2009 at 9:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

TexasHawk44 (anonymous) says...

I wonder what it feels like to be a "choosen" one, derringer29. I hope that the "chosen" ones "choose" to get a better education than some folks who post on here. And may the PHOG (Allen) be with you, not fog(horn Leghorn)...

October 16, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

b_hux (anonymous) says...

I also believe Brad Beal will be at Late Night, who could be our No. 1 prospect from the 2011 class! He's one heck of an athlete, 2-guard, and a great outside shooter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he's coming as well. He's ranked No. 7 currently by Rivals.com.

October 13, 2009
Another Late Night Visit For Five-Star Beal

Shay Wildeboor
JayhawkSlant.com

For the second straight year, Bradley Beal will be center stage in Allen Fieldhouse when Bill Self and Kansas kickoff the start of basketball with Late Night in the Phog. Beal recently decided to attend KU's festivities instead of taking an unofficial visit to Illinois. Will this be Beal's final visit before a decision?

October 16, 2009 at 11:01 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

drgnslayr (anonymous) says...

Harrison, Josh, Doron, Bradley, Royce, Josiah, J.P.... welcome to the magic kingdom, where fairy tales become reality while spirits of basketball's forefathers watch on from the rafters!

October 16, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

jaybate news service (jns):

Flash.......

In one of the most remarkable events in the history of college basketball, the top 15 players in this year's highschool class just held a press conference to announce that all 15 have committed to KU, as of today.

Sources inside KUAD indicate that KU will, for the first time, field two Division I teams next season and that the Big 12 will expand to the Big 13 to accomodate the father of all college basketball programs.

Coach Self indicated that it has been getting too easy to coach just one team and he has decided to become the first coach in the history of the game to coach two teams simultaneously.

The rich keep getting richer!

October 16, 2009 at 4:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

derringer29 (anonymous) says...

texas hawk lol-what does it say about you, that you waste your time putting other people down for what they write on a ku tread--please stay in texas- by the way did u even have a comment of your own when it comes to the team? what a waste of space lol

October 16, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

martyks (anonymous) says...

I was thinking that KU would easily win the Big 12 with their second string. I wonder if coach Self could win it with his third string. Probably not, because, although the team would probably have the best starting five, they would have absolutely no depth. Still, seems to me we'd have a shot as long as no one fouled out.

October 21, 2009 at 6:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )