A chat with Harrison Barnes’ head coach

I finally got through to Vance Downs, the head coach at Ames High School, in Ames, Iowa. Downs, you may know, coaches Harrison Barnes, ESPN’s top-ranked recruit for 2010.
Barnes, a 6-8 small forward, is graded at a 98 by ESPN, and would be a huge grab for UCLA, which is on his small list of final destinations.
First off, Downs is a great guy. Great, great guy. He was completely open to chatting and is handling the whole recruiting game really well it seems.
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Top Recruit Barnes Narrows List to Six – UCLA is in

The mother of Ames, Iowa, basketball star Harrison Barnes says he has narrowed his list of potential college choices to six schools.
Shirley Barnes says her son, considered by many the top basketball player in the Class of 2010, is considering North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State.
She says Barnes will make an official visit to North Carolina on the first weekend of
September and to Duke the weekend of Oct. 23.
Barnes’ visits to Kansas, Oklahoma and UCLA are still being arranged. Barnes, a senior at Ames High, won’t make an official visit to Iowa State since he lives just a mile from
campus.
Shirley Barnes also says she doesn’t believe her son will make a decision before the early
signing period ends in November.

Hoops recruiting update

Hey all,

I checked the blog for the last month, and I might have missed this, but take a look at this in-depth Sporting News profile on UCLA target Harrison Barnes.

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2009-07-09/top-prospect-harrison-barnes-not-rushing-decision

Gotta say, I love this kids mental makeup. I know little of him – YET! – but just from one interview, I think he’s got some serious maturity. That’s never a bad thing.
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