I ended my column today by saying that I didn’t think Harrison Barnes made the right choice when he decided to go to UNC. Here’s why:
If we think about the way Barnes handled his recruitment, his commitment ceremony on ESPNU, and his choice of reading materials (an si.com article reported that his summer reading list included Secrets of the Mind of a Millionaire: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth), it becomes clear that he wants to make a lot of money and that he plans to do so by building a Harrison Barnes brand. Barnes did all he could to stay in the spotlight and build that brand during his recruitment – blogging about his trips, delaying the moment of decision until he called Roy Williams on Skype – and it worked beautifully. Everyone and their mother (and my girlfriend) was talking about Harrison Barnes.
And right now, the Barnes brand is kind of on fire. When you think of Harrison Barnes, you think of a kid who is smart, religious, mature, technologically-savvy, grounded, and hard-working. And as long as Barnes remains in the spotlight and avoids the criminal justice system, that brand is going to make him a lot of money.
But the key is staying in the spotlight, and Barnes’ problem is that he chose the wrong school at which to do that.
For whatever reason, anything that happens at Duke seems to matter more to the national media than anywhere else (cf. The Duke Lacrosse Saga). Sweet sixteen-loser Duke is on national television 27 times this year; defending national champion North Carolina, 22 times. For comparison’s sake the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers appear on national TV 25 times apiece.
I don’t actually think that the extra five televised games really make that much of a difference, but for whatever reason, there’s something about former Blue Devils that allows them to stay in the national spotlight. Jason Williams and Jay Bilas call games on ESPN; Brian Davis and Christian Laettner bought up most of Durham and then tried to buy the Memphis Grizzlies; Shane Battier is Moneyball author Michael Lewis’ new darling; J.J. Redick jokes about dropping a rap album and it blows up on the Internet. Hell, when back-up point guard Greg Paulus was trying to figure out if he’d play football this year, it made the front page of espn.com. I don’t remember anyone getting that worked up about Bobby Frasor’s future.
The point is that a college basketball player can build his brand while in school as much or more than he can in the NBA – as long as he chooses the right school, has enough charisma, and stays there long enough. At Duke, the national media would’ve turned Barnes into the program savior, the guy who will lead Duke back to glory. Maybe some enterprising Chronicle staffer would’ve written 5,000 words about his life. At Carolina, he’s just another athletic swingman. Rashad McCants says “Hi” from the NBA unemployment line.
If it turns out that he’s actually the second coming of Michael Jordan, it won’t matter how much charisma he has or where he goes to school – he’ll make his millions selling Hanes and Nike. But if he’s not, then he’ll need all the help he can get building that Barnes brand, and coming to Duke would’ve been a good start.
So hey, it’s his loss.
Danny Green got himself drafted by being able to jump high and dance on the sidelines. If it is Barnes’ desire to build a brand while hooping at UNC, Duke isn’t that much of a threat to stop him if he has the talent.
If I’m an elite basketball player looking to go to school, I’m not sure Bilas, Jason Williams, Paulus, and to an extent Redick are guys I’d want to compare myself to. Sure, you want to develop your brand, but that hinges on you being successful in the NBA. Bilas was never good enough to play a game in the NBA, Williams wasn’t around for an entire season, and Paulus won’t have one either. This is the first year Redick’s been worth more than 6 ppg in the pros. I feel like this kid wants to be an outstanding, all-world ball player for years to come, and that’s part of what this brand thing is built upon. Being someone with a shadow of a pro career (if any) wouldn’t be much help.
You can make the same argument about Duke that you made about UNC. If he wants the spotlight and exposure, he should have gone to St. John’s. NYC is desperate for a winner (anybody watched the Knicks recently?) and to be relevant in college hoops again. If Barnes is worried about building his brand, he should have put on a hideous sweater and a St. John’s hat last Friday.
I don’t think anyone thought last year that Tyler Hansbrough didn’t get enough national media attention. I’m sure some people thought he got too much. I think the key question is: Would Harrison Barnes get more national media attention at Duke than Carolina if he turns out to be as good as advertised? Would Tyler Hansbrough have received more attention last year if he played at Duke? It’s hard to imagine that would have been the case. There are lots of guys from both schools who don’t succeed wildly in the NBA, not just Rashad McCants. Are you saying that if Rashad McCants would have done better in the NBA if he went to Duke? I’m just not following the logic.
Maybe he wants to win national championships which Mr. McCants has. Did you notice that the its been 10 years since those players you named were beating the grief out of my heels.
Maybe he wants to be part of the family (Carolina Mafia)? See Jordan the greatest tarheel as he forms the on-going fabric of the program vs Elton Brand the greatest devil and his disaffection from the program
By the way, the press conference was a terrible thing to do and shameless self promotion, you nailed that one.
Maybe one day, the joke will be who was the only person to hold Harrison Barnes under 20… Roy Williams.
LOL is this guy frikkin serious? You sound like a typical Carolina hatin Dook fan.
Who from Duke has a signature sneaker? And don’t mention any Grant Hill retro’s either.
Better yet, who from Duke has any endorsements?
Anywhere is better than Duke for a basketball player.
Bust after bust. Transfer after transfer (5 in the last 6 years) Mike Thompson, Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin, Taylor King, & Elliot Williams.
McRoberts top ranked player in his class, what does he even do now.
Paulus #1 point guard in his class…really?
Reddick “Mr. All-Everything” now “Mr. Ride the Pine”.
I’ll give you Brand, Boozer, and Deng but that’s about it. Who in that crowd is in demand for the next Nike commercial?
Coach K is a great college coach, but he does not, I repeat, DOES NOT DEVELOP TALENT. College is designed to prepare you for your desired profession, not the case with Duke basketball.
Sorry, the truth hurst sometimes.
Everytime there is a debate regarding which program is superior, UNC or Duke, the Duke people always bring up education. But guess what ? This is basketball !!! UNC has been better since they first tipped it off 100 years ago, Williams is a better college coach and developer of talent than Coach K. UNC has produced more and better NBA talent than Duke, and the only sport that Duke has that is better than UNC is Men’s Lacrosse. We have them in pretty much everything else. Duke would do better comparing themselves to NC State than UNC. We have tradition and history at UNC. Besides education, what else do you have ? As far as education, Stanford has proven that you can have education as well as athletics. And as far as Cameron being better than the Smith Center, I beg to differ. Besides idiots that line the court and make the atmosphere unbearable for the opposing team (except for UNC during the Hansbrough era of course), the place is an outdated sweat box that no one except the locals love. And when is the last time you saw a Duke player in an AT&T commercial ? Enough said.
Point blank, Barnes wanted to go to the powerhouse that is UNC and not the black hole, has been breeding ground that is Duke Basketball.