Seth Forsgren and Harrison Barnes have known each other since attending Kindergarten together at Roosevelt Elementary.

 In his pre-signing speech, Barnes said Forsgren was his best friend.

 Forsgren helped facilitate the Skype stunt, in which Barnes told North Carolina coach Roy Williams via video conference that he was coming to Chapel Hill.

 “Seth has always been great with technology,” said Barnes, who used Forsgren’s black Mac laptop at the podium.

 Forsgren doesn’t play basketball, but the Ames High senior was a starting midfielder on the Little Cyclones’ state runner-up soccer team last spring. And he takes credit for getting Barnes to join the choir this year.

 “This is fun for me,” Forsgren said. “It’s pretty wild to see where he is now.”

 Forsgren often gives rides to his high-profile friend, who doesn’t have a driver’s license, but they rarely play one-on-one in hoops.


 “We play more ping pong,” Barnes said. “It’s a little more competitive.”

Crowded affair

 Cheerleaders. Pep band. A packed Ames High gym.

 There was a game day-like atmosphere to Barnes’ signing ceremony Friday afternoon, enhanced when the crowd, filled to the rafters, started a slow clap before Barnes appeared.

 A group of male students were shirtless. Black and orange body paint spelled out, ‘We heart Harrison.’

 “This is great for the school, it’s great for the community and it’s really good for Harrison,” Ames coach Vance Downs said. “I just think it’s a special deal.”

Clothing matters

 Barnes wore a dark navy suit to his signing.

 Might it have been a sign of where he was going?

 “It’s actually a little darker blue than the Carolina blue,” Barnes said.

 In fact, Kansas and Duke have school colors that more closely resemble Barnes’ suit.

 So what is Barnes going to do with all of the Duke sweatshirts he accumulated during the recruiting process?

 “I’ll probably pass them on to my sister,” said Barnes, who now will be involved in one of the most heated rivalries (UNC-Duke) in college hoops.



credit: http://www.amestrib.com