LAS VEGAS – No matter how many times Harrison Barnes attends one of these USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camps, it never gets old for the 26-year old Iowa native.
Barnes thoroughly enjoys the time spent with the collection of gifted players, the bonding that takes place, and the process of building a relationship with someone who normally would be viewed as an adversary. In essence, the Dallas Mavericks’ forward soaks it all in like a sponge, fully knowing that whenever his retirement day comes, he’ll have some memorable stories to share with his family and friends.
Thus, Barnes’ message to the players who are part of the USA Basketball Man’s National Team mini-camp is very simplistic.
“Just enjoy the journey,” Barnes said following Thursday’s opening day of the two-day mini-camp at Mendenhall Center. “There are so many times we get caught up in the process and everything that goes into trying to get better every single day that sometimes you have to just take a moment and just pause and reflect and say, ‘Man, this is a great experience playing for your country, playing with these guys.’
“When we look back and we be like, ‘Man, I wish I would have enjoyed that experience a little bit more.’ So, just stay in the moment.”
Barnes stayed “in the moment” in 2016 when he was part of the United States National Team that captured the gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He remembers that time, and his participation in the mini-camps leading up to the Olympics as if they were yesterday.
“I’ve been here a few times and every time is different,” Barnes said. “New guys are coming in, and it’s an honor to be here with this group working to get better.
“It’s always an honor to be able to come and represent Team USA, to play against those guys, and to be able to learn from (USA Basketball) coach (Gregg) Popovich and the other coaches. I’m excited to be here.”
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, one of many on hand sitting in the stands who witnessed Thursday’s practice session, was thrilled to watch Barnes hold his own against some of the best and brightest players the National Basketball Association has to offer.
“It’s awesome to have a guy like Harrison involved with USA Basketball both as a former Olympic team member and a prospective one in two years,” Carlisle said. “He looks great, he’s playing great, he’s got a lot of experience under his belt now, so this is exciting.
“You can tell that he’s been through this. He’s one of the guys that have experience. He just continues to build up his game and his profile as a leader.”
The building up of Barnes’ game and profile as a leader is what’s going to separate him from the other players who are in this min-camp for the first time.
“He’s done this before, so he’s kind of a veteran when it comes to that,” said Mavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley, who also is an assistant here on Popovich’s staff. “He’s seen it and he’s experienced it, so it’s really good that he’s got the cerebral approach.
“He knows how to work, he knows how to talk to guys and he knows how to lead things, so it’s been good.”
By the time the camp concludes on Friday, and Barnes gets to rub shoulders with Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, John Wall and other high-profile players, Barnes knows there will be plenty lessons learned he can take back to Dallas and share with the Mavs.
“I think there are so many pieces of it that he can take back,” Mosley said. “He can come from a standpoint of leadership, from a standpoint of communication, the bonding and helping guys come together and treating it like a family like we are with the Mavs.”
Barnes views the situation in a family-like manner, too. Yet, he is aware of the sheepskin this cast of multi-talented players have on their walls back home, so he also takes that into consideration.
“You see just that competitiveness, you see everyone here, and they’ve accomplished something,” Barnes said. “They’re All-Stars, they’re world champions, they’re MVPs, or whatever it may be.
“For me it’s how they prepare, how they work. I’m trying to get to that level of where I want to be.”
As he watched practice from the stands, Carlisle envisioned how things will be next season with Barnes playing alongside the Mavs’ top two offseason additions – veteran center DeAndre Jordan and rookie guard Luka Doncic. Days like Thursday – when Barnes was surrounded by some of the world’s best players — should assist Barnes with that preparation in a season the Mavs hope will end in the playoffs.
“All these experiences are so meaningful when you’re a guy like Harrison who’s a young veteran having to lead a team like our team that’s in a rebuild,” Carlisle said. “I just love his approach and disposition here at this camp.”
Barnes doesn’t take any of these experiences for granted, saying: “To be able to have the camaraderie with these guys, to be able to talk to them, to be able to get better and try and learn some things on how they do things is what it’s all about.”
NOTES: Center DeAndre Jordan, who the Mavs signed to a one-year free agent contract earlier this month, was listed as one of the 35 players on the USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster. But Jordan told USA Basketball coach Gregg Popovich that he wasn’t going to attend this mini-camp, so it was no surprise that he wasn’t here. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle also knew Jordan was not going to be in Las Vegas for this mini-camp. “I was with him yesterday in LA,” Carlisle said. “I spent a couple of hours with him and had a real constructive visit with him. We worked on a few things. I’m just so excited that he’s on board with us. He’s going to be great.”. . .Before the USA Basketball National Team mini-camp started Thursday, Mavs head athletic trainer Casey Smith led them in some brisk stretching exercises. Smith is one of the trainers assigned to work this mini-camp. . .Mavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley is having a lot of fun as one of the nine assistant coaches in this mini-camp. “That’s what this is for these guys,” Mosley said. “We all know their talent level. But it’s about building a family and building a team and coming together to represent USA. That’s where we are with it, so that’s why you’ve got to have fun with it in order to be able to enjoy it.”. . .Mosley was playing some stout defense against some of the players during drills, and was getting some positive results. But he said to pump the brakes a bit. “I wouldn’t go that far,” a smiling Mosley said. “It just looks like I’m working real hard, because they’re not working that hard.”. . .Harrison Barnes on Jamahl Mosley: “Mosley is great. To be able to work with him every single day and then to have him in this type of environment with those other great coaches, I think was great not only for me, but for him and for the Mavericks organization.”. . .In addition to coach Rick Carlisle, Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and development coach God Shammgod also attended Thursday’s practice session.
. .Since the Mavs will play two preseason games in China against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, coach Rick Carlisle said training camp will start earlier than normal. He also told Mavs.com that Media Day will be held on Sept. 21. . .Harrison Barnes will celebrate his one-year old wedding anniversary on Sunday.
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