Harrison Barnes is coming back for sophomore season

[StateProperty]

He's officially coming back according to Seth Davis (and I'm sure others).

[KG215]

Yep!! It's officially official as of this morning!!! It was reoprted with a write-up and all on Inside Carolina, which means no BS this time. It's for real.

Now, can we just talk about how damn loaded UNC is going to be next year?

Kendall Marshall
Dexter Strickland
Harrison Barnes
John Henson
Tyler Zeller

Reggie Bullock (who will actually be healthy this year)
James McAdoo
Leslie McDonald
P.J. Hairston
Desmond Hubert

Go ahead, let it sink in.


http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/1065324.html

[bballer]

It's a wrap. We got the title on lockdown

[baseketball4life]

Yep!! It's officially official as of this morning!!! It was reoprted with a write-up and all on Inside Carolina, which means no BS this time. It's for real.

Now, can we just talk about how damn loaded UNC is going to be next year?

Kendall Marshall
Dexter Strickland
Harrison Barnes
John Henson
Tyler Zeller

Reggie Bullock (who will actually be healthy this year)
James McAdoo
Leslie McDonald
P.J. Hairston
Desmond Hubert

Go ahead, let it sink in.


http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/1065324.html

figured, feel bad for Harrison doubt he'll go top 10 whenever he enters now. But on the plus side he'll win a NCAA title

[HB40TheNextStar]

Getting a text from IC 6 am in the morning saying the Black Falcon is back -- better than morning sex.

[GOBB]

Preseason top 4...not sure where I'd rank them. I got OSU #1, UNC could be #2 if Kentucky losing B.Knight/T.Jones, then I'd put Kentucky after UNC. If Kentucky keeps those two they are #2 then UNC #3. 4th would be Texas depending on Jordan Hamilton returning or not.

I'm loving the kids staying in school. I bet we wont see a Butler/VCU Final 4 again.

[Dolphin]

Preseason top 4...not sure where I'd rank them. I got OSU #1, UNC could be #2 if Kentucky losing B.Knight/T.Jones, then I'd put Kentucky after UNC. If Kentucky keeps those two they are #2 then UNC #3. 4th would be Texas depending on Jordan Hamilton returning or not.

I'm loving the kids staying in school. I bet we wont see a Butler/VCU Final 4 again.

Exactly. Hopefully we get something closer to the NCAA tournaments before the last two years.

[KG215]

Preseason top 4...not sure where I'd rank them. I got OSU #1, UNC could be #2 if Kentucky losing B.Knight/T.Jones, then I'd put Kentucky after UNC. If Kentucky keeps those two they are #2 then UNC #3. 4th would be Texas depending on Jordan Hamilton returning or not.

I'm loving the kids staying in school. I bet we wont see a Butler/VCU Final 4 again.

Preseason top 4? Thanks for the laugh. Unless Knight and Jones both return for Kentucky, then they are - without a doubt - preseason #1. If Knight and Jones both return, then they are no worse than preseason #2.

I don't give a rat's ass about Ohio State returning Sullinger, Craft, and DeShaun Thomas, and whatever recruits they're bringing in. They still lost Diebler, Lighty, and Lauderdale. On the other hand, UNC returns EVERYONE, literally, and bring in a very solid recruiting class.

Today has been like Christmas in April for me and I'm in one of "these" moods, so let me break it down for you...


STARTERS
PG Kendall Marshall (6'3", SO): He only got better and proved he's an elite point guard after being inserted into the starting lineup. He'll come into next year with a better jump-shot (which wasn't terrible by late season) and be better at finishing at and around the rim. He showed he wasn't as slow as a lot of people though because he was able to get to the hole pretty regularly, he just had trouble finishing. That should be less of a problem next year.

SG Dexter Strickland (6'3", JR): Dexter was the MVP in the Elite Eight loss to Kentucky. Knight still had a nice game, but Dex did a very good job defending him and making him work to get his points. On top of that he actually showed some ability to score on the offensive end. He's the type of player who's such a good on-ball lockdown defender, that whatever offense we get from him is a bonus.

SF Harrison Barnes (6'8", SO): No need to go into much detail about him. He'll be a worthy and legitimate preseason NPOY candidate along with Sullinger. His game only improved as the season progressed and he became a cold blooded assassin in big games and in big moments. Think of it this way...Barnes was a lock to be a top 3-5 pick in the 2011 draft, but he's returning to play on a loaded UNC team. UNC was a legitimate Final Four contender next year WITHOUT Barnes. Instead, they are getting a NPOY caliber player back to an already loaded roster.

PF John Henson (6'10", JR): Between his freshman and sophomore seasons he added about 15 pounds to his frame. He was still a little on the light/weak side this year, but he'll have another offseason in UNC's highly regarded strength and conditioning program, and should be another 10-15 pounds heavier next year. Even if he's at the same weight, he'll still be arguably the most disruptive and best frontcourt defensive player in the nation. His offensive game showed a lot of improvement this year, and that should get only better with another offseason to work on his game.

C Tyler Zeller (7'0", SR): Probably one of the 3-5 best big men in the nation next year. There aren't many true weaknesses in his game. He can score with his back to the basket, does an excellent job of running in transition, can hit the 15-17 foot jumper, and he's a very underrated defender. Teams up with Henson to give UNC the best frontcourt in the nation.


BENCH
F James McAdoo (6'8", FR): True freshman that I've heard multiple scouts say would be an immediate impact freshman if he was going anywhere besides UNC. Unfortunately and fortunately, he's coming into a team returning all of the best frontcourt in the country. He gets the luxury of being an impact 6th man for a loaded team ala Marvin Williams in '05 and Ed Davis in '09. He's a 5* top 5-10 recruit who garnered MVP honors in 2/3 of the high school all-star games. He may end up being eerily similar to Marvin Williams, but just a little more explosive and athletic, and maybe not as smooth. But, he's still a stretch PF, with explosive athleticism, and can score in a variety of ways. He can play the 4, 5, and even the 3 in emergency situations.

G Leslie McDonald (6'4", JR): I have him listed in the 7th slot but by season's end I wouldn't be surprised if the next two guys off the bench are getting more minutes. However, this is a very nice player to bring off the bench. He's got a sweet stroke from three and on his mid-range jumper. He's a nice player who is a great fit as an offensive spark off the bench on a championship caliber team.

G/F Reggie Bullock (6'7", SO): I think a lot of people forgot about Bullock being on the team this past season. Which is understandable since he didn't light the world on. He did have a handful of 10-15 point games where he hit several threes and showed flashes of being a solid defender. Then, about 10-12 games into the season we learned he hurt his knee pretty bad in an early season game and was playing on a bad wheel. In fact, it was a torn MCL, that he had to have surgery on after shutting it down for the rest of the season with about 10 games to go. However, this is a kid with NBA potential who should be 100% next year. He was heralded as a long-range sniper coming out of high school, and I wouldn't be the least big surprised if he's seeing starters minutes and taking a lot of Strickland's minutes at SG by February of next season. You insert him into the lineup at SG with Marshall, Barnes, Henson, and Zeller, and UNC has a lineup of 6'3"-6'7"-6'8"-6'10"-7'0" with very few flaws.

G P.J. Hairston (6'5", FR): Going into the season he will more than likely be the 9th man on the team. Again, the NINTH man. However, this is a kid who was a 5* top 10-20 player in the 2011 class. He has deep range on his jumper and can fill it up. You probably couldn't find more than 5-7 other teams in the nation that he wouldn't be a starter or have a big role on next year. But, again, he might be UNC's 9th man.

C/F Desmond Hubert (6'9", FR): The "forgotten" member of the 2011 class, partially due to his commitment coming just a few weeks ago. He's "just" a 3* but look at his offer sheet: Ohio State, UConn, Pitt, Notre Dame, Villanova, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia, Xavier, and Providence. That's the offer sheet of a 4 or 5 star player. Yet, he'll be the 9th or 10th man and 4th in the frontcourt rotation next year.

Now, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if UNC doesn't come out of the gate lighting the world on fire next season. Roy Williams will have to figure out how to juggle minutes for a team that could conceivably go 10 deep of quality talent. There will be a bit of a feeling out process as players learn their role with the new freshmen, but this team should be extremely scary by March. No one can reasonably justify not having them as their preseason #1 unless Knight and Jones both return for Kentucky.

[BIG FURB]

Roy Williams will have to figure out how to juggle minutes for a team that could conceivably go 10 deep of quality talent

Nothing to figure out, Roy will do what he always does when he has great depth. Expect mass substitutions and telling his kids to run, run, run with the intent of wearing down opposing squads with sheer strength of numbers.

[Jailblazers7]

Good thing UNC has some experience in that starting 5 cause that line-up looks a little thin in talent and depth.

[baseketball4life]

good post KG215.... I really think Hairston is the best shooter on the team next year and I don't think it's cloes either, his range is filthy deep unreal deep. He is a beast, unfortunate he may not see the floor but 12 minutes a game next year. But juggling the minutes is going to be rocket science for Roy Williams. James McAdoo is immediately one of the best players in the entire nation but won't see more than 20ish minutes per game. Maybe 25 if he's lucky. Barnes' draft stock will take a massive massive hit, and unless Roy finds a way to play him upwards of 35 minutes which won't happen he'll likely be just under 30 than his stats will die as well. Poor guy, he probably cost himself millions by returning to school, but what do I care as a UNC die hard, only thing that can bring this team down from walking away with the ACC title and national title is the issue of TOO MUCH talent and not getting guys enough time to find a rhythm which would mess with the team. I really love Kendall Marshall running this team, Keller, Henson, McAdoo nuts just nuts. I hope to see Hairston get good run though, he is probably the best scorer on this team yet will be struggling to see the floor.

[KG215]

Good thing UNC has some experience in that starting 5 cause that line-up looks a little thin in talent and depth.

Yeah, UNC is screwed next year if someone suffers a season-ending injury. Just too thin and there's not much talent to speak of on the bench.

On a serious note, look at that second unit (and I'm replacing Bullock with Strickland to give them a PG and because I think Bullock may really be our best option at SG by season's end) is it not a borderline NCAAT bubble team by itself?

PG Strickland
SG McDonald
SF Hairston
PF McAdoo
C Hubert

[KG215]

good post KG215.... I really think Hairston is the best shooter on the team next year and I don't think it's cloes either, his range is filthy deep unreal deep. He is a beast, unfortunate he may not see the floor but 12 minutes a game next year. But juggling the minutes is going to be rocket science for Roy Williams. James McAdoo is immediately one of the best players in the entire nation but won't see more than 20ish minutes per game. Maybe 25 if he's lucky. Barnes' draft stock will take a massive massive hit, and unless Roy finds a way to play him upwards of 35 minutes which won't happen he'll likely be just under 30 than his stats will die as well. Poor guy, he probably cost himself millions by returning to school, but what do I care as a UNC die hard, only thing that can bring this team down from walking away with the ACC title and national title is the issue of TOO MUCH talent and not getting guys enough time to find a rhythm which would mess with the team. I really love Kendall Marshall running this team, Keller, Henson, McAdoo nuts just nuts. I hope to see Hairston get good run though, he is probably the best scorer on this team yet will be struggling to see the floor.

I like all of your points except Harrison's draft stock taking a major hit due to not getting enough minutes, leading to his numbers taking a hit. If Harrison plays at an All-American level all season long and UNC wins a national championship or makes a Final Four run, then he'll still be a top 5 pick in the 2012 draft.

[RedBlackAttack]

You know... I was so excited when the Cavs acquired that second lottery pick in the Mo Williams/Baron Davis deal. While everyone was saying that this was going to be a weak draft class, I really didn't think so. Williams, Irving, P. Jones, Sullinger, Barnes, Walker, Knight, T. Jones, Burks... Then, you had foreign prospects like Kanter, Vesely, Valanciunas, Motiejunas...

Hell, I just listed 13 solid prospects off the top of my head. I looked at this draft class as a possible sleeper in its depth at the top.

Now, though, things have been decimated. Those two lottery picks don't look nearly as exciting as they once did. The depth at the top has been lessened dramatically. When is the last time so many virtual locks to be Top 5 picks opted to go back to school? I can't remember it ever happening like this... At least recently.

I'm not as worried about the Cavs' top pick, because I'm still thinking that it will be a Top 2 pick and that will mean either Irving or Williams. It is that second lottery pick which will probably be around No. 8 which has been really hurt.

With Sullinger, Perry Jones and Harrison Barnes coming back, every guy on every draft board has been moved up three spots. So, while we could have ended up with... Say... Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight, it looks more and more likely that Knight has been pushed into the Top 5 and we will probably be taking a chance on a foreign player... Or maybe Burks will slip to us.

It is just so discouraging. Why did this trend of going back to school for the top guys have to start this year?

[KG215]

Getting a text from IC 6 am in the morning saying the Black Falcon is back -- better than morning sex.

I woke up around 8:30 a.m. (CST) and had two or three texts with links to the article on IC about Barnes returning. I honestly can't think of many better ways to wake up. I had basically completely reading IC (premium board) after all the drama became too much. Sifting through 20+ page threads for a morsel of "inside" information became too much with school being so busy right now. About two weeks ago I basically said screw it and just told myself "it'll happen (one way or the other) when it happens." I have a buddy who's a premium member on IC as well, so I still got some updates from him from time to time, but waking up and hearing Barnes was returning was a surprise to me since I stopped reading the marathon threads.