University of North Carolina Athletics
As Tar Heels Head To Puerto Rico, Barnes, Zeller Named To Naismith Preseason Watch List
November 16, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2010
CHAPEL HILL - On the day the University of North Carolina men's basketball team flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for this week's Puerto Rico Tipoff, forwards Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller both earned spots on the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list. The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the list on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Tar Heel traveling party flew to San Juan in anticipation of Thursday's first-round tournament matchup against Hofstra.
The team will practice Wednesday morning before taking the floor at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico for a shootaround on the tournament site. Members of all eight participating teams will attend a welcome reception and dinner Wednesday night.
Barnes, a freshman, was named first-team preseason All-America by the Associated Press. Last Friday against Lipscomb, Barnes started at small forward and finished with 14 points in 27 minutes on 6 of 12 shooting. He was the national prep player of the year last season at Ames High in Ames, Iowa.
Zeller is a junior who entered the season as Carolina's leading returning scorer and rebounder from 2009-10. He tallied 15 points and seven rebounds in last weekend's season opener against Lipscomb.
Duke led all schools with three players on the list -- Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving. Three other Atlantic Coast Conference players were on the list, including Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech), Chris Singleton (Florida State) and Jordan Williams (Maryland).
Three Tar Heel players have won the Naismith Trophy over the years, including Michael Jordan (1984), Antawn Jamison (1998) and Tyler Hansbrough (2008).
Carolina's first opponent in Puerto Rico, Hofstra, boasts a member of the watch list as well in senior guard Charles Jenkins. The Tar Heels and the Pride will tipoff on Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. local time in Puerto Rico).
The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2010-11 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T* will be awarded at the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston.
"This year's watch list features an incredible array of talent from across the country, which will create a tremendous challenge for our voting academy in determining the winner of the most prestigious trophy in college basketball," said Eric Oberman, Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director.
In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.
