Harrison Barnes will return to North Carolina for his sophomore season, the university announced Monday on its official website.
Barnes, a 6-8 forward who was the ACC's top rookie, becomes the third Tar Heel who considered the NBA draft to announce his return to school for next season, joining 6-10 John Henson and 7-0 Tyler Zeller.
The return of those three players from a 29-8 team that reached the Elite Eight in 2010-11 makes North Carolina one of the favorites in the national championship chase next season.
"As an 18-year old, I'm in the early stages of my life journey," Barnes says in the release. "I'm honored and blessed for the chance to play in the NBA. And because of my family, teachers, passion, and work, I have the ultimate dream of one day playing and experiencing a fulfilling career in the NBA.
"Opportunities, both beneficial and life changing, can seem to make the next phase of my journey an easy decision. But I am a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina. I'm here to experience college life, grow as a person, receive a quality education, and be part of the greatest basketball family in college sports.
"As a team, we're preparing for a special season. My off-season plans are to diligently work on honing my basketball skills in all areas with one team-goal in mind -- to bring the 2012 national championship home to UNC."
Barnes, a second-team all-ACC selection as a freshman, would have been among the top five picks in the draft according to many experts.
He averaged 15.7 points and led the Tar Heels in three-pointers made with 67.
“I am of course excited to have Harrison back on our team next year," UNC coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement. “It has been a true pleasure to coach him and I look forward to coaching him again next season. He had a difficult decision to make. He really had no wrong decision to choose, but I believe he is coming back to school because he enjoys college basketball, he enjoys the University of North Carolina and he enjoys his teammates. If he had decided to leave for the NBA, that would have been OK, too, because he will always be a Tar Heel. But it will certainly be a lot of fun to coach him again.”
Monday, April 18, 2011
Harrison Barnes says he's returning to UNC
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
45 comments:
Very good Kid and represents UNC well........
YES!!!
Oh great, another year to hear the Tarholes ramble on about their talented roster...Anything short of a National Championship out of this team will be a disappointment. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype that this Newspaper will bring their way.
Poor little ABC'er. Go suck your thumb and cry to your mother.
Turdstick wrote:
Oh great, another year to hear the Tarholes ramble on about their talented roster...Anything short of a National Championship out of this team will be a disappointment. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype that this Newspaper will bring their way.
"Oh great, another year to hear the Tarholes ramble on about their talented roster...Anything short of a National Championship out of this team will be a disappointment. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype that this Newspaper will bring their way."
It's this the same thing that the dookies did this past season. I think so. Don't hate because the Tar Heels will be better than dook.
It amazes me , day after day, year after year, more ABC'ers post on Carolina articles than they do about articles concerning their "teams" or "team"
It must sux going through life trying to live through others failures , when you have nothing to celebrate of your wown
UNC-CHeat: The most corrupt athletics administration within the entire NCAA. CONgratulations!
Commence the hype machine.
I love when some ABC fan says it'll be a choke if we don't win: they're accepting how awesome we truely are...this team is LOADED!
$$$$ under the table. UNC-CHEAT MO at work.
As usual, the ugly comments are saddening. The reality is that UNC and Duke both have excellent programs where the student-athletes are typically real student-athletes, Carolina's experience with its football program notwithstanding. I get so sick of this UNC-CHeat thing that somebody wants to say. The fact is that Carolina has run a compliant athletic program for many, many years and has produced many young people who have graduated and who have represented the University quite well. The school is respected nationwide and is recognized annually as one of the top five public universities in the United States. So, perhaps some people can get some perspective and recognize that this is simply about basketball, a sport and not really that important in the big scheme of things. As to the issues with the football program, no Carolina fan is happy about them but I personally am happy that the University is taking the high road in accepting responsibility and dealing with the issues. I hate that one young man was found to be totally innocent and yet lost an entire year of eligibility due to the capricious rulings of the NCAA. I am proud to call Carolina my university and I am happy to have a fine university such as Duke as an academic and athletic rival. I even hope that one day State can be in the same category and this is good for college education in North Carolina.
UNC-CHeat: Manning rules this week and the emails will be released.
I admire this kid for his decision. He could make a lot of money immediately. I don't know that I would have been this mature at this age...
I'm an ABC'er and really wanted Barnes to turn pro just to keep Duke and UNC relatively even, talent-wise. That said, I really applaud him for staying because the continued presence of a top player is nothing but good for college basketball. Hopefully a few other young men will remember his decision in the future and decide to stick around.
If Marshall continues to progress at the point and can play more consistently, UNC will be the team to beat next year and may have one of the best frontcourts of all time, though it pains me to say it. Duke will still be competitive in a top-heavy ACC, but now I really believe next year's is Carolina's to lose.
All the Heels fans need to be wary of that, though, big expectations can wear a team down, and an injury (especially to Barnes or Marshall) will change the team's dynamic in a split second. As a Duke fan, ask me how I know...
Expectations will be set to the top, and they should be. Harrison Barnes is a class act and values more than basketball, which is an excellent testament to his parents and family.
Who cares!!!
Seriously, who posts on a comment board "who cares?" If you don't care then why are you reading this and, more importantly, why are you even leaving a comment?
This is good news for college basketball. Star players choosing to return and enhance their college experience enhances THE college basketball experience for all of us. I think this should be a rule. It is going to be a great year for Carolina and naturally Kentucky and Duke will be good too. I know as a Tar Heel fan I want another crack at UK. If Knight stays and with the class they have coming in, there are going to be some absolute heavyweights this year....unlike this past year! I can't wait already.
Anonymous said...
UNC-CHeat: The most corrupt athletics administration within the entire NCAA. CONgratulations!
A reply and an observation to the above:
You must be a Dookie and speaking of personal experience there and your jealously is showing.
I, on the other hand, am just proud that this young man wants to continue enjoying his college experience and the icing on the cake is that he plays basketball for Carolina. Go TARHEELS!!!
hahaha
dark day for dookies
yes, the pressure is on but we relish it
abcers keep hating
UNC the most corrupt athletic program in the NCAA? LOL, even to the biggest ABCers that should be a joke. Teams in the SEC have been doing what UNCs players did this past season FOR YEARS! Decades even!
I'm not happy at all about the football situation at UNC last year, but come on, calling them the most corrupt athletic program in the NCAA is like calling NC State the most successful athletics program in the NCAA. It's downright laughable!
Education is truly valued in Chapel Hill people, it's not all about the $$$. Great decision Harrison, make your family proud and get a degree, even if it is in African Studies or Geogrpahy, or something else, you'll have something to fall back on later in life.
Oh happy days!
"I'm not happy at all about the football situation at UNC last year, but come on, calling them the most corrupt athletic program in the NCAA is like calling NC State the most successful athletics program in the NCAA. It's downright laughable!"
-Now THAT is some funny isht!
He is actually studying for a business degree....in 3 years.
Please....please...please. Take a minute to appreciate a true scholar-athlete. This kid values what is right, regardless of school or affiliation. We should applaud his choice!
@ Anon 11:52am - I've heard that same thing too, but now it begs the question if that's his true plan, why'd he wait to make the announcement? Shouldn't he have already said just that? His delay in making his announcement signifies one of two things:
1) He's not married to his plan, or
2) He's an attention whore.
The second choice actually has a lot of merit given his past behavior: making his collegiate decision announcement in something akin to the LeBron James "The Decision" hype-a-thon, requesting Stewart Scott give him a nickname, like LeBron (the Black Falcon), and now this.
Just sayin'.
John Thomas...HB was ready to announce when the other two guys did, but Roy wanted to gather a little more information for him and make sure he thought his decision out well since he was potentially going to be a top 3 pick.
Just Saying..STOP HATIN!
As an NC State fan...this kid just earned my respect not only for his talent, but by this decision. However, financially damning it might be...he is actually going to school to grow and come into his life. Good for him.
Go Pack!
Cavspack2007
@JohnThomas 12:19am:
It's clear you're simply looking for an excuse to slam Barnes. North Carolina's players who have turned Pro before graduating have historically returned to Chapel Hill in the offseason to finish their degrees. You clearly don't understand what Barnes's plan is, how UNC works with student-athletes, or the ways in which he can execute said plan. Kenan-Flagler prepared a comprehensive study plan for Barnes, which included flexibility for his basketball track (remaining at UNC or going to the NBA).
If he was the attention whore you claim him to be, he wouldn't have announced his return via a school press release. So he had fun with his college announcement - so what? Move along. Considering he had considerably more to contemplate regarding the NBA than either Zeller or Henson, it's not surprising he took more time to reach a decision.
Haters such as yourself and the 'logic' you employ to bash North Carolina and its players is laughable. Just sayin'.
*are laughable
Well said!
No UNC-CHeat is the largely played out, ineffective--let alone, underwhelmingly 'clever'--dig of the State fan...
All ABC'ers please refer to http://www.kleenex.com...I feel certain it may be of some assistance to you all.
GO HEELS!!!
Cavspack: Thanks. Classy comment. I hope State is now on the road to getting its program fixed. They've had some great teams, and I look forward to State and Wake making comebacks with their programs. It will happen, and it will be all the better for the ACC. jmones1212
lemme see.......
-Incumbent starting shooting guard, Strickland...only one problem...he CAN NOT SHOOT
-The same group (add Hairston) that could not guard the 3...and too often shot under 20% from behind the 3 pt line.....
The return of Barnes, and addition of McAdoo won't change that.
Remember these 2 words- Cook & Rivers.
Remember these two words...second place.
@ Anonymous 2:21pm
I think Barnes is a good kid, just with a touch of a prima donna. Few wouldn't be after being named a preseason All-American before even scoring a basket at the collegiate level, but I digress.
My point was that everyone has said that Barnes' plan was to graduate from UNC in three years, much like Kemba Walker at UConn. He has a degree in hand and a year of eligibility left that he is opting to forgo to enter the NBA. If this was Barnes' legitimate plan, why would he even consider a jump to the NBA? That simply means that he's not completely sold on the plan, or just wanted a little attention in the media.
If the plan is to graduate in three years, what's to consider? Is the plan moot if he's a consensus number one selection? That's all his business and rightfully so - my overall point was just that there probably isn't a plan set in stone. He likely has a set of goals he wants to accomplish at UNC, as it is important to him to leave a legacy. He probably wants to be a consensus All-American, NPOY, ACC POY and a National Champion. Had he achieved all of that this past season, he would probably be headed for the draft with one helluva legacy behind for having accomplished all that in one season.
I also don't see anything in my post that bashed North Carolina, perhaps you should read it again if you couldn't comprehend it the first time. I'm not even really bashing Barnes - he's a good kid from a good family, but when you're 18 years old and have praise heaped on like he has, it has got to be difficult not to get a big head. I was just posing the question as to why he opted to wait on his announcement if he already had a plan in place to graduate in three years. That's all.
Just sayin'.
Manning rules that the emails will be released at the end of this week.
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/judge-rules-against-unc-in-no-lawsuit
UNC-CHeat just got served. See ya!
Another J R Reid
Harrison Barnes e-mails to be released? Please stick to the subject!
Pretty easy to stay academically eligible when you take magazine reading, coffee making, and gym classes. MJ was a Geography major, his final exam was a single question, "Where is the gym?"
Harrison Barnes is on a 3 year business degree program, not exactly coffee making and gym classes. As for MJ, yea he clearly needed a difficult degree to succeed in life huh? Jack Wagon...
Congrats on next season's preseason #2 ranking. Don't underperform your preseason accolades again.
he benefit from the University of North Carolina and he enjoys his partners,
Post a Comment