![]() He said, 'We're not going to win any championships taking days off.' " "I said, 'Hey, you've got to give your body some rest.' And I remember these words he told me. "Well, it's him, he's trying to get into the weight room," Downs said. The coach woke up at 6:30 Monday morning to find several messages on his cell phone. But it wasn't for lack of effort.Įvery morning, Barnes woke up before classes to run, lift weights, shoot free throws or swim laps.Īfter his high school team lost in the substate semifinals that year, Downs told the players to take a week off and rest their legs. "I turned around just about as fast as I could and walked away because I didn't want a 14-year-old kid to see me in awe of what he just did," Downs said. One of Downs' assistants told him he had to check out the new kid, so he walked down to the court and saw Barnes dunk the ball so hard, he almost broke the basket support. His high school coach, Vance Downs, remembers Barnes showing up for his first varsity practice as a freshman. A year later, he was so adept at dunking, he became a local sensation. The summer before his eighth-grade year, Barnes dunked for the first time. "I was about average height," Barnes said. "I guess for me, since I had always taped those Michael games, I knew he would watch them and he would probably try to emulate them, so I think he was destined in his life to be great."īarnes tried out for a fourth-grade Amateur Athletic Union team. It was just like he was deemed for greatness," she said. "I just always saw the way he moved, his body composition. She identified her son's potential almost immediately. ![]() Shirley Barnes also bought her son instructional videos about basic basketball skills: " 'Better Basketball,' " she said. And then I really had a passion for the game." ![]() I just always watched his basketball games, and through time it started to sink in. "That's what I grew up watching," Barnes said. She started showing her son the tapes as soon as he was old enough to watch TV. "I'd say it makes it more of a challenge."īefore Barnes was born, his mom taped every televised Michael Jordan game. "I'd say it motivates you knowing that every time you play, you want to be the best player and everyone's out to get you," he said. 1 by ESPN and ), Barnes knows he has a target on his back. As the most sought-after high school basketball player in the country (he's ranked No. ![]() Last month in his living room, the soft-spoken teen said he has prepared his whole life for this. If any of the attention surprises Barnes, he doesn't let on. "It was a little bit of a big deal," Barnes said. In October, before Barnes decided where he would attend school, two of college basketball's heaviest hitters - North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski - visited his house. "I'd like to think I have a pretty good feel for people, and let me tell you, he's a winner." "I met the youngster when he was a sophomore," said sportscaster Dick Vitale. He appeared recently on the cover of ESPN's high school magazine, Rise, and he writes a monthly diary for the basketball publication Slam.īarnes is, scouts say, the complete package, a rare combination of elite basketball skills, insatiable work ethic and intellect. ![]() In the fall, Barnes will enroll at the University of North Carolina, Jordan's alma mater. I was way taller than he was."There are worse ways for a budding basketball star to measure himself.Īt 17, Harrison Barnes of the Ames High Little Cyclones might not yet be a household name. I wanted to be 6-6 my whole life, and then it was so funny when I got to meet him. "It's because Michael did it," Barnes explained. "I thought you were still playing the 6-6 game." You will begin to receive our Daily News updates. Add your contacts. ![]()
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