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February 19, 2010
9:45 P.M. CST
One of the primary differences between us and other scouts in this business is that we won't hesitate to give credit where credit is due when someone else offers a player evaluation that is right on the money. Such is the case with respect to the scouting evaluation that Reggie Rankin of ESPN assigned to 6'1 combo guard Jay Harris from Oswego East High School in Oswego, IL at the end of this past summer.
We have to admit that at first we thought Rankin's evaluation of Harris was crazy. We saw Harris at AAU events throughout the last year as well as at the South Suburban Fall Exposure League and thought that he was average at best. He was also out of action when we attempted to watch his high school team kick off the regular season this past November at the Hoops For Healing Thanksgiving Tournament. However, after watching Harris pour in 44 points tonight in leading Oswego East to a 77-64 victory over Plainfield East, we are in complete agreement with Rankin's assessment.
The most impressive thing about Harris' performance was the manner in which he put up his numbers. Harris converted 11 three-point field goals in the contest, shooting a phenomenal 11-14 from beyond the arc. Not only that, but Harris scored from just about anywhere on the floor, including hitting more than a few shots with defenders right in his face. It was the best individual game performance that we have witnessed from any high school basketball player in Illinois in the last two years.
In addition to Illinois Prep Bulls-eye, North Dakota State University Associate Head Coach David Richman was in attendance for the purpose of watching Harris. The Bison coaching staff has recruited Harris harder than anybody up to this point and were the first D1 school to offer him a scholarship. Nevertheless, should Harris continue performing at the level that he has played at all season long, one has to wonder if his recruiting stock could soar even higher.
Simply put, we believe that Harris is as good as any guard in the state of Illinois from the class of 2010. He is one of the best 3-point shooters that we have seen, with range that extends out to the NBA line. Not only that, but Harris moves extremely well without the ball, has a quick release and needs virtually no room whatsoever in order to get his shot off.
What is almost equally impressive is that Harris also has outstanding ball handling and quickness despite not being a natural point guard. He sees the floor well and does not force the action, which is rare for someone with Harris' scoring ability. How Harris has managed to fall through the cracks this long simply amazes us.
The bottom line is that no other talent evaluators or recruiting analysts in Illinois (including us) have offered an accurate evaluation of Harris until now and for the most part his game has gone undervalued. With the exception of 6'4 Ohio State University recruit Lenzelle Smith from Zion-Benton High School in Zion, IL, we have not seen another guard in Illinois from the 2010 class with Harris' degree of offensive versatility. That explains why Harris is HANDS DOWN the best unsigned 2010 guard in the state and why his player evaluation will represent the biggest stock increase in our history in the next issue of our scouting service.
Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to recruiting and high school basketball in Illinois.
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