UNC Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Steve Robinson, speaking to the Raleigh Sports Club this week, said he was not quite sure he was going to win the recruiting battle for Harrison Barnes with Duke University. Speaking to a crowd of approximately 185 attendees, Robinson said things looked bleak when he saw Barnes attending a UNC-Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Barnes was attending as a guest of the Blue Devils during Barnes’ senior year in high school.
“I looked up behind the Duke bench and saw him wearing a Blue Devil shirt,” Robinson said. “I told coach (Roy Williams) that I did not know if we would get him. His mother assured me that he would make a visit to UNC.”
Robinson said Barnes’ mother held to her word and as everyone knows the highly recruited basketball player selected the Heels over the Blue Devils. Barnes decision has paid huge dividends to the team’s success.
Robinson went on to describe the unique experience of playing Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson. He indicated that the weather, pregame festivities and meeting the President of the United States made it much more difficult to prepare for the game than normal.
The former Florida State head coach commented that Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall have been the team’s top performers this season. He noted that Henson continues to improve each season and that Marshall has had four 15 assist games.
“That is the first time in UNC basketball history that has happened,” Robinson emphasized.
When asked by a member of the audience about UNC center Tyler Zeller playing “soft” in the post thus far, Robinson commented that Zeller just “needs to play better” and that he did not know if “soft” was the correct way to describe Zeller’s play. On the academic side, Robinson proudly pointed out that Zeller is an “academic All-American scholar athlete” for his performance in the classroom.
“College basketball is alive and well,” Robinson said when asked about the early season upsets that have seen four different teams hold the #1 position in the rankings. “The atmosphere for the UNLV and Kentucky games were NCAA tournament like environments. They were played on their home courts,” Robinson pointed out.
To help you learn more about the Raleigh Sports Club, the club has released a new professionally produced membership promotional video. To watch the video click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UePabzdajM. The RSC has added several prominent speakers to its schedule. Please visit www.raleighsportsclub.org for news and postings as it is updated regularly.
– Greg Pierce