Mr. Basketball Candidate: Gary Harris

Over the next week or so, P-Hoops will be profiling a select seven seniors who I view as the top candidates for the most coveted individual award in Indiana high school hoops: the title of Mr. Basketball. More often than not, the awards precedes major success in college, and often beyond. The recent winners include Cody Zeller, Deshaun Thomas, Jordan Hulls, Tyler Zeller, Eric Gordon, and Greg Oden, all of whom have had or continue to have significant success in college hoops (and some in the NBA, too!). This year's crop of candidates is chock full of big names, big games, and bright futures. We will begin with one of the potential frontrunners in Hamilton Southeastern's Gary Harris. One thing to note before going in depth on Harris is that big names such as Rapheal Davis, Hanner Mosquera-Perea, and Jay Simpson are not up for this award as they are in non-IHSAA prep schools. On to Harris...

Player
Gary Harris

Position
6'5 Shooting Guard

High School
Hamilton Southeastern Royals

College Choice
Michigan State

Junior Stats
18.6 points - 7.1 rebounds - 2.8 assists - 2.2 steals - 77% FT - 36% 3pt%

Past Seasons
Sophomore - 17-4, lost in Sectionals
Junior - 20-4, lost in Regional Finals

National Rankings:
Rivals.com - 5 star, 24th overall
Scout.com - 5 star, 12th overall
ESPN.com - 5 star, 10th overall
247sports.com - 5 star, 15th overall

Mr. Basketball Outlook
Harris is consistently ranked the highest prospect in the state by most major scouting services, aside from Rivals.com, which is the outlier by having him ranked below Yogi Ferrell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea. But rankings are usually meaningless when it comes to Mr. Basketball. Harris is the most complete player in the state, a do-it-all guard that can score in a variety of way, who is ultra-athletic, and can defend with the best of them. He also plays on the #2 ranked team in 4A, hinting at his team's chances for postseason success. With teammates Jaccobby Bledsoe and Zakarie Irvin, the Royals have a legitimate shot at the 4A State Championship, something Harris might need in order to secure votes. Since he only has one Sectional title to his credit, a deep run in the tournament this year is a must for Harris to cement himself as the top candidate for Mr. basketball. He does have a few things working against him, namely that he spurned in-state schools IU and Purdue, instead choosing the Spartans for his college destination. This should not be a contributing factor for voters, but it unfortunately often is. If he can put up big number and win at least a Regional crown, Harris might just be the frontrunner for Indiana Mr. Basketball 2012.