North Carolina Freshman three Harrison Barnes was rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation, and is the first ever preseason All-American first team selection to garner the honor without ever playing a single collegiate minute. (The preseason All-America team was instituted in 1986). And Fox Sports.com and CBS Sports.com named him the preseason player of the year. So to say the expectations of Barnes are “sky-high,” is the understatement of the year.
He’s quite possibly the most highly acclaimed college basketball rookie ever, as he was named to the Naismith Award Watch list, ACC Player of the year by this publication, National Freshman of the year by that publication, well you get the idea. NBA Mock Drafts, including ours, have had him as the #1 or #2 overall pick. So when things got off to a rough start for Barnes, the critics came out in full force.
“I really don’t mind all the personal scrutiny, it’s really more about winning and losing, I’m not a fan of losing, I really didn’t lose much in high school,” Barnes said after I caught up to him in Champaign, following a decisive defeat at the hands of the Illinois Fighting Illini.
By Paul M. Banks
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