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Harrison Barnes is a name that all North Carolina Tar Heels fans will remember for the rest of their lives, and for obvious reasons. The 2010 McDonald’s All American was the No. 1 recruit in his class for college basketball teams, and he luckily chose the Tar Heels as his team. Although he only played two season in Tar Heels blue, he certainly made the most of his college basketball career.
Barnes was one of the top scorers on the team in both of his seasons, averaging 15.7 points per game his freshman year and 17.1 when he was a sophomore. He was known for his late game heroics, momentum shifting plays, and of course, his monstrous dunks. Barnes was a top 10 draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2012 NBA Draft, and now he will be participating in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in just his seconds season in the league.
Although Barnes has been struggling to succeed this season for the Warriors, a dunk contest crown may be just what he needs to gain momentum and turn his season around. We all know just how great his athleticism is, and it will certainly be on display during the contest. He is up against some of the other great athletes in the NBA, including Paul George, John Wall, Damian Lillard, Ben McLemore and defending champion Terrence Ross, but there is a strong possibility that Barnes can shock the the league and come out as the champion.
At 6-foot-8, Barnes can get up the rim like it is his day job, and lucky for him, it is actually his day job. In a recent Warriors ad for their “We Are Warriors” campaign, Barnes is seen making a monstrous dunk over fan after running the full length of the court. If he can bring that kind of athleticism to the contest next Saturday night in Houston, then all of the other contestants are in for a huge challenge.
I think I speak for every Tar Heels fan when I say that seeing Barnes in the dunk contest will be a very fulfilling experience. He was one of the most prolific Tar Heels players in their team’s history, so it is nice to see that he is making a name for himself at the next level.
