TOBIAS HARRIS AMONG CLASS OF 2010 ELITE
6′8 small forward nearly the full package aleady as a sophomore
By Chris Dokish
On of the top sophomores in the country is already getting major offers, and more could be heading his way soon. Tobias Harris of Half Hollow Hills West HS in Dix Hills, NY is finishing up his sophomore year of high school, but already stands 6’8” and weighs 220 pounds, according to his father, Torrel.
The Long Island native obviously has great height for the small forward position already, but he may not be done growing yet. “We think he’s going to be 6’10”, says Mr. Harris, who coaches his son for the Unique All-Stars.
Rutgers was the first to offer, according to Mr. Harris, followed by Indiana and then Connecticut. Maryland, Marquette, Baylor, and Arizona are others that have thrown their hat in the ring. There will be more, like perhaps Memphis where former Arizona assistant John Pastner now works. Pastner offered Harris while at Arizona, a school where Tobias’ cousin, Channing Frye played. But according to Mr. Harris, any schools that are interested should get involved soon.
“I feel that if any school wants him a lot then they will get on him early and stay on him,” says Mr. Harris. “We won’t be interested in anybody jumping on the bandwagon late.”
But that doesn’t mean that a decision will be soon. “I don’t understand why kids commit so early,” says Mr. Harris. “Things change so quickly. For instance we really liked Kelvin Sampson when he was recruiting Tobias for Indiana, but if he committed there, look what happened. Sampson is gone. So we will just go around to the top contenders and see which programs he fits in best at.”
Mr. Harris, who played at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, says his son only needs to improve his speed and agility before becoming the perfect package.
“He can shoot lights out, he’s a good rebounder, a good post up player, and he work really hard,” says Mr. Harris. “He also has a 3.8 GPA. He learns very quickly. You teach him something once and he will understand it right away. He’s very smart.”
Chris Dokish is a NBE Basketball Report contributor as well as a contributing editor of the Pittsburgh Sports Report where his stories are often featured in their Keystone Recruiting newsletter series, which you can sign up for free at their website.
