Dion Harris Interview and More
The Wolverine spoke with 6-4 shooting guard Dion Harris of Detroit Redford on Tuesday. Harris, a rising junior, is generally regarded as the top player in his class in Michigan, and solidified his status as a Top-10 junior nationally with his recent play at the Nike All-America Camp.
Hoop Scoop ranked Harris as the No. 18 player overall and No. 4 two-guard at Nike -- making him the No. 3 junior in camp, and the top junior at his position. Prep Spotlight also ranked him the No. 4 shooting guard at Nike, regardless of class, and the No. 1 junior at that position.
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Harris said that he is considering Michigan State, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, and Louisville. Although he has no current favorite, he said, "I'm looking pretty much at staying home or pretty close to home."
In the spring Harris played with the Michigan Hurricanes AAU program, but he has since returned to The Family, the team with which he played in 2000. On Tuesday, he expressed a desire to continue playing with in-state friends of his in college.
Harris has been to Ann Arbor to play pick-up this summer, including the weekend of senior point guard Daniel Horton's campus visit and verbal commitment. Also present on that occasion was U-M commitment Lester Abram, who plays with Harris on The Family. Harris said that he felt very comfortable playing with the duo, as well as the other Wolverines.
"Of course I can see myself playing with Les," Harris said. "And with getting to see Daniel Horton, I can see myself playing with him, too."
Abram made a very early commitment to Michigan, picking the Wolverines prior to the start of his junior year, although when then-coach Brian Ellerbe was dismissed he briefly reconsidered before reaffirming his decision in late May. Harris can see himself following the same sort of timetable.
"I'm considering making an early decision," he said. As for whether "early" could mean as soon as this summer, Harris said, "It's hard to say."
Harris has established himself as a major recruiting priority of the Wolverine'. With U-M calling it a year on perimeter players after the commitments of Abram and Horton and focusing on rounding out its 2002 class with post players, landing a two-guard like Harris will be a definite goal for 2003.
It has been reported that another in-state shooting guard, 6-4 Maurice Ager of Detroit Crockett, will commit to Missouri within a matter of days. Michigan had been involved with Ager in the spring, but more recently had backed off, recruiting only power forwards and centers in the senior class and targeting Harris for the following year.
Like Chris Bosh, who was discussed yesterday in articles on both the main site and Premium TicketClick * * *Here to view this Link., 6-9 power forward Travis Garrison (right) of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha performed very well at the recent adidas ABCD Camp, and is a top target of Michigan's.
Ratings of Garrison's adidas performance were impressive across the board: Hoop Scoop ranked him as the No. 5 power forward and No. 25 player overall in camp, regardless of class; The All-Star Report ranked him the No. 1 senior forward; School Sports ranked him as the No. 8 big man; and CNNSI.com ranked him as the No. 22 senior.
The All-Star Report called Garrison a "decent weakside rebounder who showed a greater willingness to mix it up inside here than he has at other events. When Travis decides to play aggressively inside, there aren't many players in the country who can handle him."
According to Rivals Hoops, "Garrison built on the strong showing he had . . . at the adidas ABCD camp" with his play in the D.C. Board Games Tournament, in which he played with DeMatha's summer program.
That article also gave an update on his recruitment. "Garrison said that the schools he's considering are Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami (FL) and Charlotte," the report stated. "He said he didn't have a leader and isn't sure when he'll make a decision."
Maryland has generally been regarded as the leader, due in large part to its advantage as the hometown school, but there have also been favorable appraisals of the Wolverines' chances, most notably by The All-Star Report's Bob Gibbons.
Please support those who support this site by clicking on the ad banner at the top of this page and each time you access a message board. Visit our Basketball message board for analysis and discussion of U-M basketball and recruiting or to post any questions you have. Tobie Smith may be reached via e-mail at TobieSmith@mgoblue.com.