This weekend WVU played host to its highest-rated hoops prospect in the 2010 class, New York small forward Tobias Harris, the nation’s No. 3 small forward and No. 7 overall prospect according to ESPN.com. West Virginia’s coaching staff seems to have the Mountaineers very much in position to potentially land a commitment from the blue-chip recruit.
Today we spoke with Harris’ father, Torrel Harris, who has guided his son through a lengthy recruiting process that has included dozens of campus visits and that will end with a nationally televised announcement on Nov. 19. Tomorrow, we'll have Tobias’ take on the trip to WVU.
“It was really good down there. We had a great time. Coach Huggs, he runs a pro practice, we had a great meeting with the school president and the head of the entrepreneurial department, because that’s what Tobias wants to study. We got to do a lot of talking with everybody down there. We also went to the football game against the University of Louisville. That was fun. It was beautiful weather for a football game,” said Torrel Harris.
“I came away being very impressed with the players and the school. If Tobias tells me, ‘I want to go to West Virginia,’ I’ll have no problem with that. Coach Huggins is one of the best.”
Torrel Harris has thoroughly scouted all of the schools recruiting his son and is very familiar with the ‘Eers’ roster as well as the coaching staff.
“With Devin Ebanks and De’Sean Butler gone there’s going to be a chance for major playing time, so he could go in there and score some points and help them continue to win, because I know they’re going to have a great season this year. They’ve got some other players on the team that are very good, like Kevin Jones, Deniz Kilicli, Casey Mitchell and also Flowers too. I like Flowers, he’s a good ballplayer,” Torrel Harris said.
“Even though they’re going to lose those two guys, if Tobias goes there, they shouldn’t miss a beat. Devin has become a great player. He was already great in high school but he’s only gotten better,” he said. “Look down the list of guys Huggs has gotten to the NBA. Coach Huggs is great. They’re definitely doing good things down in West Virginia.”
The Harrises are also quite familiar with WVU’s assistant coaches. Billy Hahn was the one who originally got WVU in the door with Harris and got him to begin considering WVU, and assistant Erik Martin hit it off with Harris while coaching him at WVU’s summer elite camp. Torrel Harris also had complimentary words for coach Larry Harrison.
“They have three head coaches,” Torrel Harris said. “Coach Huggins gets the most out of you, and he loves you like a son. That’s why all the guys love him. He’s hard on you on the court, but he’s your best friend off of the court. We’re a family-oriented family. A lot of coaches say that, but it’s not really true.”
Harris, a do-it-all 6-foot-8 forward regarded as one of the most polished offensive players in the Class of 2010, has narrowed his list to seven finalists -- WVU, Louisville, Kentucky, Maryland, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He’ll visit Maryland next weekend and then head directly to Georgia Tech before hunkering down for a couple of days to make a decision.
He’ll then announce on ESPNU on Nov. 19, ending a long recruiting battle that has seen the gifted big scorer tour more schools than most any recruit in recent memory, all in the name of finding the prfect fit.
“I have some frequent flyer miles. I Haven’t used them yet but I’m sure I’ll be getting more of them,” Torrel Harris said, referring to his next oldest son, Tyler Harris. The younger Harris is a talented prospect himself, with interest from many major programs, including West Virginia. He also has a 13-year old son, terry, who plays basketball, and a daughter, Tesia, who as a sophomore had the seventh-highest shooting percentage in University of Delaware women’s basketball history.
“Huggs said he wants Tyler. He said, “if we don’t get Tobias, you’ve got to promise I’ll get Tyler.’ When I got home I told Tyler that, sand he said, ‘Oh yeah, I want to commit to West Virginia. I want to play for him. I love West Virginia.’”
“I told him I’d get the phone so he could call and commit, and he said, ‘Well, I want to enjo the process for a while,” Torrel Harris said, laughing.
Stay tuned -- tomorrow we'll hear from Tobias himself.
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