With the John Wall recruiting hype over, and Lance Stephenson looking like he hopes somebody will pay him some money to play somewhere, we move on to the biggest names for 2010.
First, let’s talk about the top players who aren’t committed, and leading that pack is Harrison Barnes (SF, 6’6″, 2010), followed by Brandon Knight (PG, 6’3″, 2010), Josh Smith (C, 6’9″, 2010) and Kyrie Irving (PG, 6’1″, 2010).
Right now, Barnes is considered the top player and he just completed a visit to the campuses of Duke and UNC (which isn’t hard, considering they are only eight miles apart). He already has offers from both schools, as well as Kansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma and just about anywhere else he wants to play. Harrison Barnes is currently the number one player we’re tracking for 2010.
Barnes is a good outside shooter and has the size and handles to legitimately play the 2 in the pros if he continues to develop. He has a guard’s court vision and can slash as well, although he needs to be able to develop the ability to create his own shot and finish his slashing moves better. His first step is very, very quick and he uses it to get to the basket extremely well.
One thing I really like about Harrison’s game is his stroke. I would like to see him display a little more athleticism for a 6’6″ guy around the basket, because it could be an issue when he’s going against big 6’9″ guys in the paint every night in college. But I’m going to see a lot more of Barnes before then.
Here’s some video of Mr. Barnes: