No. 2 recruit to be in stands tonight

By Gary Bedore     Oct 16, 2009

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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