UNC Basketball: Harrison Barnes' Desire to Win Over Turning Pro Proves Greatness

Harrison Barnes could have turned pro after a stellar freshman season with the UNC Tar Heels.

He didn’t.

After improving every aspect of his game this year, he looks like a lock to be a top-five pick in the draft. So he will go pro after this season, right?

Turns out, he might not.

Barnes is 100 percent ready to contribute at a high level in the pros. He averages 17.7 points per game and is shooting a sizzling 46.8 percent from the field and showing some range by nailing 42.5 percent from deep.

As hard as it is to believe, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the superstar sophomore stays in Chapel Hill if his team doesn’t capture a national championship.

When Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida asked Barnes if he would be leaving after the season, he made it clear he just wants to win now.

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"The goal is to win a national championship, so, if you do that, it’s a no-brainer," Barnes said. "Our goal is just to win the national championship. I feel like this team, if we continue to mature, we have a great shot. And if that happens, then that’s all she wrote."

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UNC has the talent to win it all. They possess an incredible frontcourt, anchored by Tyler Zeller and John Henson, and boast more size than some NBA teams have.

They are currently sitting with 7.5 to 1 odds at Bovada.lv, an online sportsbook, to capture the 2012 championship, right behind Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky. 

So what happens if they don’t? Barnes simply said it would be  "up in the air.”

This is a great attitude for a competitive basketball player to have. You can see he cares more about his legacy and winning over declaring for the draft and cashing a big paycheck.

So many talented young men turn pro too early and get paid by teams eager to gamble on their upside, but no one seems to factor in heart and desire to win anymore.

Barnes has that fire burning within him—a fire which will let him succeed at any level of organized basketball right now. Even if UNC doesn't win the championship, Barnes could go pro or stay in college and still be a successful player.

One more year in school would not hurt him, but he's also a lock to be an impact rookie if he declares his eligibility. 

He certainly had no qualms about his decision to return for the 2011-12 season.

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“When I saw the [NBA] schedule, how many days they're playing three games in a row (over three nights). That’s crazy. I love college basketball. To be able to start on time and be able to go out and play on the aircraft carrier (in North Carolina’s Nov. 11 game against Michigan State on board the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego) and do those kind of great things, I don’t regret it whatsoever."

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College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many Americans, and winning a national championship would be an incredible way for Barnes to cap off his career in North Carolina.

He obviously believes that too, and hopes he can one day be one of the old guys coming around campus talking about the glory days.

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"Guys come back in the summer from (the title season of) ’09 and you got guys who come back from (the title one of) ’05," Barnes said. "Everybody’s talking about a championship this year, a championship that year. As current group, you're like, I want to be in that rarified air. I want to be one of those guys. I want to hang a banner.

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UNC fans are hoping he hangs a banner this year and then departs, but it wouldn’t be such a terrible consolation prize if they faltered and the star stuck around for one more shot at it. 

Bold Prediction:

The Tar Heels make a deep run in the NCAA tournament but falter late to Kentucky or another No. 1 seed in the Final Four or Championship. Barnes will keep everyone on the hook for a month and then declare himself eligible for the 2012 NBA draft, become a top-three selection and win the Rookie of the Year Award.