Barnes & McDermott Go Back-to-Back: Iowa Time Machine March 14, 2009

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On March 14, 2009, Ames High School captured the first of back-to-back basketball championships with a team featuring future NBA players Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott.  Part of a broader 53-game win streak which allowed Ames to capture the school’s seventh and eighth state titles in boys basketball, the run stands as one of the most dominant in Iowa high school basketball history.

In a performance featuring six dunks, Barnes dominated the 2009 4A state championship. Finishing the game with 24 points and 8 rebounds in the final, the performance helped Ames cap off a 26–0 season. With Barnes and McDermott both getting heavy college recruiting buzz, the stage was set for a record-setting run during the duo’s senior season.

Barnes and McDermott led Ames to a 27–0 season and a second straight Iowa 4A state championship the following year. The run stood out as Iowa's first 4-A team to go undefeated in consecutive seasons. In the finals, Barnes scored 19 points against Southeast Polk. He averaged 27.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 4.0 assists during his senior year and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team. As a senior, McDermott averaged 20.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and was named first team All-State.

Selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team, Barnes went on to star at the University of North Carolina before becoming the 7th overall selection in the NBA Draft. A champion with the Golden State Warriors, Barnes continues to contribute in the NBA. 

McDermott went on to play at Creighton, where he led the nation in scoring in 2013–14 and was a three-time consensus first-team All-American. He was the consensus national player of the year as a senior in 2014, finished his college career with the fifth-most points in NCAA Division I men's basketball history, and was the 11th overall pick in the NBA draft. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar