Gary Harris is one of Indiana’s most talented players and Saturday he did not disappoint.
The 6-4, 190 pound junior at Hamilton Southeastern was as enticing to watch as others indicated. Saturday was my first chance to catch the highest rated junior in the state as Harris & Co. hosted No. 1 North Central to HSE.
Harris is ranked 24th in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com and 14th by Scout.com.
Despite the 69-67 loss to last years’ Class 4A state champion, Harris put on a show for coaches and fans alike. Coaches from at least six Division I programs were in attendance checking out the intense matchup.
Gary Harris is a special player that one high-school coach described to me as “for sure NBA talent.”
He took control of the Royals from the outset finishing with game-high 23 points on 7 of 14 shooting. Harris is a very lean and lengthy player with a long stride and terrific range. Although the final margin was just two points, the game wasn’t really that close.
He is being recruited by top NCAA programs and has offers from Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Xavier.
As a junior, this kid is already a stud. He has plenty of time to bulk up and get even better before taking his talents to college.
I was surprised by his teammate Zak Irvin’s play. Irvin is arguably the second best player on the team but clearly had an off night. He didn’t do much at all and had a very shaky shot that was way off.
Here’s a video of Gary Harris from a month ago: