Official Visit Primer: Four-Star Guard Anthony Harris in Bloomington This Weekend

UPDATE: Harris tweeted out pictures in an Indiana uniform. As his tweet states, he has not committed.

Whatchu 🤔 👀? #notcommitted pic.twitter.com/5UGL4UXj9M

— ️Ant_harris#3™ (@MANZANT3) April 20, 2019

Indiana has a chance to close out its 2019 recruiting class with a strong late finish. The Hoosiers signed Joey Brunk this week, and now perhaps their most likely remaining target on the board arrived in Bloomington on Friday.

Indiana tried to get Fairfax, Virginia native Anthony Harris on campus last year for an official visit, but it never happened.

Harris abruptly ended his recruitment with available official visits remaining in early October, committing to Buzz Williams and Virginia Tech.

When Williams left the Hokies for Texas A&M, Harris asked for and received a release from his national letter of intent.

Can Indiana go from no visit in 2018 to a commitment? That’s a big jump in just a matter of months, but the Hoosiers appear to be in a decent position here.

Harris will spend the weekend at IU and then head to Chapel Hill for an official visit with North Carolina. Maryland and Georgetown are also in the mix although no visits have been scheduled.

The 6-foot-4 guard does have ties to the new Virginia Tech coaching staff and he has left that door open, so the Hokies cannot be overlooked here.

Harris was a member of Team Takeover, a Nike-affiliated AAU squad last spring and summer. That program finished session play undefeated and then went on to win the Peach Jam.

On the 2018 AAU circuit Harris averaged 8.2 points per game while shooting 46.4% overall, 43.8% from long range, and 82.1% from the free throw line in 22 games.

Harris’ senior year of high school at Paul VI was cut short with a December ACL tear. You can read about his recovery timeline below.

ESSENTIALS

Capture medium — Photo via d1circuit.com

Hometown – Fairfax, Virginia (Paul VI Catholic)
Position – Point Guard/Combo Guard
Height – 6-foot-4
Weight – 185
247 Sports Composite Rating – 4-star (65th overall in class of 2019)
Primary Competition – North Carolina, Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia Tech

Timeline — Harris is taking official visits to Indiana and North Carolina over the next week and is likely to decide very soon thereafter.

Indiana Connections — Harris played for the same AAU team (Team Takeover) as Victor Oladipo.

ASSESSMENT

“Anthony Harris is versatile, can play either guard spot and he’s one of the best on the ball defenders in the class. He’s a true combination guard. But he’s battle tested, having played in arguably the best high school league in the country (WCAC) and helping Team Takeover to the Peach Jam crown. He’s physical, a high-level competitor and a two-way guard.” — Evan Daniels, 247Sports

QUOTABLE

On his injury recovery timeline:

“Probably about August is when I start playing a little bit, getting back on the court and then getting better from there,” Harris said last month. “I got to sit out and watch a whole lot of basketball, so I was learning, picking up new things, seeing what I am going to add to my game when I get back. So I feel like I am going to be a better player as well.”

–Washington Post, April 2019.

Harris on Archie Miller in 2018:

“We’ve both got the same kind of mindset. He’s an aggressive coach, I’m an aggressive player. So we can be together a lot.”

–Indy Star, July 2018.

HOW HE FITS AT INDIANA

A missing link during Archie Miller’s tenure at Indiana has been an aggressive alpha defensive leader. The Hoosier head coach has built a young career with teams that play with an edge. Harris appears to have the foundation to become that kind of player for Miller. A defense led by Rob Phinisee and Harris on the perimeter could be special down the road.

Indiana needs a second true “lead guard” and Harris can fill that role. He isn’t known as a perimeter shooter, but as his AAU stats suggest, that is an area where he has improved. Obviously that is a need for Indiana next season.