AMES, Iowa — Sacramento Kings forward and Ames High School basketball alum Harrison Barnes returned to Ames Thursday evening to celebrate his accomplishments on and off the court.
The gym and the court at Ames High School was named in dedication to Barnes. In addition, Barnes was inducted into the Ames High School Hall of Fame.
Barnes helped lead the Little Cyclones to two back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010. While he was playing for Ames, the team had a 53-game win streak.
"Sometimes people say, 'Oh, I saw it from the beginning.' I didn't even think I was gonna play varsity my freshman year, let alone stay on the team after some of the practices Coach Downs would have us running up and down," Barnes said. "I'm just really fortunate to be in this position and hopefully, you know, these kids will see themselves and know they can do anything they want here and push the program forward."
Barnes went on to play college basketball at the University of North Carolina and is entering his 11th year in the NBA.
He won an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA.
In addition to helping fund the gym renovations, Barnes also contributed to the Ames Public Library and the Ames Miracle Playground and Field.