And Harrison Barnes, the all-world Iowa standout has picked UNC and will play for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. A massive pick up for an already loaded UNC team.

The have landed a top offensive player, with a lot of maturity and poise. Gotta love his ability to put the ball on the floor and take a defender off the dribble. He’ll be fun to watch at the collegiate level.

So the question of the day, at least until 4pm, is ‘Where is Harrison Barnes going to go?’. I’ll post that when he announces, but I wanted to post some thoughts on Barnes’ game, the skills which he will take wherever he ends up.

Barnes is built like a SF, but he’s got serious ballhandling ability, is extremely fluid and poised with the ball and can play defense. He’s definitely got the skills to become an NBA 2 guard.I hesitate to say that he would ever play PG in the pros, because moving him there would limit his offensive options and I really don’t know if he’s the type of player to direct an offense. In my mind, he’s an offensive catalyst and unlike a lot of NBA and college ‘big’ guards who carry the ball and push off in order to play the position, Barnes actually can handle the ball, can slash to the hoop and can shoot from outside.

I’ve seen knocks on Barnes ability to create his own shot, but honestly I haven’t seen that as an issue. If anything, I’d like to see how well he can shoot from outside when he’s guarded by better defenders at the collegiate level; his release seems fluid but a tad slow, but that might just be because he makes it look so easy. Time will tell. All in all, he’s got a great game.

So as Signing Day blasts out all kinds of activity, including the news that Lorenzo Brown (PG/SG, 6′4″, 2010) and Ryan Harrow (PG, 5′11″, 2010) will finally sign with NC State, Paul Hewitt and Georgia Tech got Jason Morris (SF, 6′4″, 2010), the big prize is still out there on the board: Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′6″, 2010).

Harrison has stated that he will announce this Friday, and the only thing that seems clear is no one really knows where he is going. Stay tuned.

Kyrie Irving (6′1″, PG/SG, 2010) has officially committed to Duke, giving Coach K another guard to run the offense and adds a great passer to the Blue Devils. This recruit was needed by the Devils and many in Durham will be breathing easier with him in the fold.

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Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′ 7″, 2010) is now officially a much watched ACC recruit, with his top three reportedly UNC, Duke and Kansas. While the Iowa high school star has taken an official visit to UNC and Oklahoma, he’s also taken one to Kansas among several ‘unofficial’ visits. So the question is, where would Barnes fit in the best? There’s no doubt that this battle for Barnes is heating up.

Scout.com is reporting that Virginia has landed one of their top targets for the class of 2010 in Will Regan (PF/C,6′8″,2010). Regan was considering several other schools, including Maryland. Virginia Tech had also reportedly offered him a scholarship.

Regan is joining a Cavalier team with a new coach, Tony Bennett, but he’ll be able to watch this season to see the Virginia squad under Bennett.

A quick rundown of ACC players taken in the NBA draft last night:

First Round

#12, Charlotte – Gerald Henderson , Duke
#13, Indiana – Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
#16, Chicago – James Johnson, Wake Forest
#18, Minnesota – Ty Lawson, UNC (traded to Denver)
#19, Atlanta – Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
#28, Minnesota – Wayne Ellington, UNC
#29, New York – Toney Douglas, Florida State

Second Round

#46, Phoenix – Danny Green, UNC
#51, San Antonio – Jack McClinton, Miami

Some initial head scratches in the overall draft, such as why Jack McClinton wasn’t drafted higher or why the Bobcats took a guard when when they need post players so badly.

James McAdoo offered by UNC

James McAdoo (PF, 6′8″, 2011) now has another offer from an ACC school, and it’s a big one. The UNC Tar Heels have offered McAdoo according to Scout.com, and this offer is added to the existing ones he has from Virginia, Clemson, Kentucky and Florida. McAdoo is one of the top ranked recruits for 2011 and has several big schools after him. He’s also strongly considering Duke at this time.

McAdoo is a strong player with good patience and timing. That timing allows him to be both a shot blocker and a scorer when combined with his solid 10 foot floater and ability to wade through traffic to get through the hoop. Definitely a big time prospect.

Here’s some video of McAdoo:

Last summer we tracked Noel Johnson (6′6″, SF, 2009) as an ACC recruit, but despite looking at several ACC schools, Johnson ultimately committed to Tim Floyd and USC. However, Tim Floyd was found to be guilty of recruiting violations and is now no longer the head coach of the Trojans.

Johnson decided to withdraw his commitment from USC and now has decided on Clemson, giving Oliver Purnell some talent on the wing to help replace K.C. Rivers and Terrence Ogelsby.

Sean May, Raymond Felton & J.J. Redick

A quick note on some former ACC stars, if you watched the NBA Finals a few days ago you know that J.J. Redick has played well but seems to be underutilized by the Magic. However, it is apparent that he’s going to stay in the NBA for now, and I expect the Magic to try and trade JJ and Rafer Alston during the draft.

Meanwhile, two former UNC stars from the Tar Heels’ 2005 national championship team are seeing their careers continue in different directions. The Charlotte Bobcats have decided not to make a qualifying offer to Sean May, which would make him a restricted free agent. At the same time, Charlotte has made a qualifying offer to Raymond Felton. A qualifying offer is just a starting point, which means that the player can look at other teams but the Charlotte has the first right to match the offer in order to keep the player.

I’m not surprised with Felton, one of the few bright spots for the Bobcats and one of the more underrated starting point guards in the NBA. The Bobcats have never been a serious playoff contender and thus, no one on the Bobcats gets much publicity, not even Gerald Wallace or Emeka Okafor.

With Sean May, it’s all about injury. He’s been injured or dealing with chronic pain for nearly his entire stint in the pros. In three seasons he’s been unable to play even one season’s worth of games. The reality is that the Bobcats still might sign Sean, but the team can’t keep money tied up at the PF spot when they are so thin there. I believe that the move not to offer May is a sign that they want to see what they can get in the draft.

NBA Draft

Ah, the NBA draft. One of the most annoying things about the NBA is how much they promote personalities over teams, and it often starts right here on draft day. This year the perennial losing L.A. Clippers are sitting on the number one draft pick, and everyone expects them to take Blake Griffin, a monster PF who should be an impact player. I like Griffin’s game, which involves basically leaping from the half court line and dunking on anyone who gets in his path. The only concern I would have is that when UNC thumped his Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA tournament, he seemed to have a hard time handling the double team and doesn’t seem to have much mid range game. Still, the NBA is about man-to-man and he is an athletic freak.

I see a lot of mock drafts picking UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet as the number 2 pick, and I’ve got to say I see that as a huge mistake. I’d take Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, James Johnson or Stephen Curry over Thabeet. I think Thabeet is the most overrated player in this year’s draft.

Most underrated player going into the draft? Possibly Tyler Hansbrough. It’s fashionable to hate Hansbrough and claim he’ll be a joke in the pros. Throw all the college awards out the window, because they mean nothing to the NBA, but in Hansbrough, I see a better version of Glenn “Big Baby” Davis or Corliss Williamson. He has developed a better shot than either of those players but he will need to be more of a rebounder in the pros. Charlotte worked out Hansbrough, Gerald Henderson, Steph Curry, K.C. Rivers and Ben McCauley over the past couple of weeks. Charlotte’s roster move with Sean May could make room for Hansbrough at the 13th pick. Most drafts have Tyler going late first round, but it’s probably going to depend on the Bobcats. There aren’t many PF players to pick from this year, and the ‘Cats will have to decide if they want to take the best player available (which could be Brandon Jennings) or draft for need.

Hey everyone…we’ve been away for a bit but we’ll soon have some great new content.

The regional round of the basketball playoffs are this week meaning that eight teams are left alive from each class in the state (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A). Due to the inclement weather in the Western half of the state, some games have been rescheduled in the West Regional while all East Regional games remain unchanged. Here is a quick rundown of the teams and some of the standout players remaining in the playoffs.

The 1A East Regional features Weldon (26-1) vs. South Robeson (17-6) on Wednesday, March 4th at 7pm inside Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University. South Robeson is playing the role of underdog in this game but features some good shooters as well as versatile forward David Goins (6’4’’, 2009) who had 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in their latest playoff win.

In the other semifinal Camden (25-3) will battle Pender (23-6) at 8:30pm at Minges Coliseum. Camden features Ricky Krainiak (6’2”, 2009) a combo guard who is averaging 22 points and over 5 rebounds a game. The championship game will be Saturday, March 7 at 3pm.
The 1A West Regional begins Friday March 6 at 7pm at Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro with Bishop-McGuinness (28-2) facing Hendersonville
(17-9). Bishop-McGuinness out of Kernersville has a decided advantage in overall height with eight players standing at least 6’2” including Robbie Fitzgerald (6’9”, 2009) and Jack McSwain (6’7”, 2010).

The 8:30pm semi-final will showcase Cherryville (22-8) vs. South Stokes (17-9). Cherryville, traditionally a baseball power, features one of the best young shooting guards in the state in Terry Whisnant, Jr. (6’4”, 2011). Whisnant dropped in 36 points and grabbed 12 boards in Cherryville’s sectional final win against Nantahala. The championship is this Saturday (3/7) at 4pm in Fleming Gym.

In the 2A East, South Brunswick (24-5) will play against Northwood (18-5) out of Pittsboro at 7pm on Thursday, March 5 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University. With an 8:30p tip-off East Duplin (21-6) battles traditional basketball heavyweight Burlington Cummings (21-6). Cummings features J.T. Terrell (PG/SG 6’2”, 2010) who is a pure scorer and torched Reidsville in the sectional final with 42 points. The championship begins at 5pm on March 7th at Minges Coliseum.

The 2A West Regional should be just as exciting with the great match-ups that are in store. Shelby (26-2) will go up against West Caldwell (22-6) at Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center at 5:30pm on Thursday (3/5). West Caldwell has an outstanding point guard in Kendall Jones (5’9”, 2011) who has scored at least 30 points in six games this season. In the second semi-final East Lincoln (26-4) will play Ashe County (25-3) inside Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro, also with a 5:30pm tip time. Ashe County showcases a talented forward in Tommy Spagnolo (6’7”, 2009) who is committed to Radford and averages over 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. The championship game will be played on Saturday (3/7) at noon in Greensboro Coliseum’s Special Event Center.

In the East 3A Regional North Guilford (27-3) will face Bertie (22-4) at Minges Coliseum on Friday, March 6 at 7pm. Bertie features balanced scoring with three players averaging at least 11 points which includes Tyson Perry (PG, 6’1”, 2009) who totals 17.9 points a game. At 8:30pm Kinston (26-3) will take on Dudley (26-3), with the regional championship this Saturday (3/7) at 7pm.
The 3A West is also strong featuring Concord (28-1) vs. Charlotte Catholic (13-15) with a start time of 7pm on Wednesday (3/4). Following this game, T.W. Andrews (24-4) out of High Point will take on Gastonia’s Forestview (23-6). Preston Holmes (PG, 6’0”, 2010) will anchor Forestview’s attack and averages over 15 points and 3 steals a game. The championship will begin at 2pm March 7th; all games will be held Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
Cary’s Panther Creek (28-2) will battle Fayetteville’s Jack Britt High School (24-6) in the 4A East Region’s first game at 7pm at Minges Coliseum Today (3/3) . Panther Creek has a talented SF/PF in Marques Oliver (6’6”, 2009) who is very athletic and creates havoc for other teams on both ends. In the other semi-final match-up Enloe (28-2) will play Terry Sanford High School (26-3) out of Fayetteville at 8:30pm. The Championship game is Saturday March 7th at 1pm at Minges Coliseum at ECU.
The 4A West Region features some very talented teams as well. On the campus of UNC-Greensboro in Fleming Gym, Hopewell (27-0) will take on Charlotte’s Ardrey Kell (21-8) at 7pm on Thursday (3/5). Immediately following this game Mt. Tabor (28-1) out of Winston-Salem will try to knock off Myers Park (24-6) of Charlotte. Mt. Tabor features a trio of talented guards who have already committed to college programs including C.J. Harris (6’3”, 2009) who is headed to Wake Forest, Michael Grace (PG, 6’0”, 2009) who is committed to Yale, and Josh Hicks (6’2”, 2009) who is committed to Old Dominion University in Virginia.

The state championship games will be held next week on Saturday, March 14th at two locations. 1A and 3A teams will play at Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University (NCSU). 2A and 4A teams will play at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

As high school playoffs kick off around the country, we turn our attention to the players who have committed or many end up in the ACC.

John Wall and Word of God have already lost the NCISSA 1A title game, after getting downed by United Faith as Ian Miller hit a 40-footer at the buzzer. This was only moments after Wall dribbled off of his foot and out of bounds:

Falcons senior Blake Smith hit a tying 3-point shot from the corner with 14.3 seconds left. Wall dribbled off his foot trying to take a championship-winning attempt.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Walton is shaking up the AAAAA tournament after knocking out no.1 ranked McEachern last week. Next up, Walton will take on Norcross, the three-time defending champion. What’s important about all of this to ACC fans is that Walton has Ryan Harrow(PG, 6′0″,2010) , who is headed to NC State, and Glen Rice Jr. (SG, 6′4″, 2009), headed to Georgia Tech. Norcross has Taariq Muhammad (PG, 6′2″, 2009), who at one time was listing Wake Forest, but hasn’t mentioned them recently but still lists Virginia as a possibility.