Steve Lavin’s first 4-star recruit at St. John’s
Words. High School Hoop
Rule #1 in rebuilding a once-proud college basketball tradition: You have to get talent.
For new St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, that wouldn’t seem like a huge hurdle, since he’s right in the heart of the always-deep talent pool that is New York City. But for a program that has fallen on hard times, convincing high school stars who want to win to sign a Letter of Intent is challenging, no matter the location.
The first step was made today, as four-star recruit Maurice Harkless announced his commitment to St. John’s. The 6-6 small forward, a rising star in the Class of 2011, is from Queens, N.Y., but will play at South Kent Prep in Connecticut this season.
“I always wanted to look into St. John’s,” Harkless was quoted by ZagsBlog.com, “but they weren’t that good in the past few years and with a new coach, I feel like it’s a brand new opportunity and the coaches are hungry. I’m in New York. I can represent my city in my city.”
Harkless was recently featured in this “What’s My Name?” profile in Dime Magazine:
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Words. E.G.
Photo. Big Apple Basketball
You can’t blame Maurice Harkless for the way he plays the game of basketball. It’s just him.
“Sometimes I think he makes the game look easy, but he’s playing hard,” says Nate Blue, Harkless’ mentor.
Since he surfaced on the basketball scene three years ago as a freshman at Forest Hills High School in Queens, N.Y., the 6-6 swingman has dealt with accusations that he doesn’t play hard because of his laid-back demeanor and effortless style.
“People can say what they want about him, but I guarantee you he’s one of the best small forwards in the country,” says one high-major college coach.
Any doubts regarding Harkless’ ability was put to rest at The Rumble in the Bronx AAU tournament this past June. After the rising senior turned in a stellar performance at the tournament, Harkless’ status as one of the best small forwards in the country was secure.
“I really wanted to show people that I am one of the best players in the country,” says Harkless. “I know I can play basketball at a high level and I think I showed that at the Rumble in the Bronx. Now I just have to continue playing that way going into my last high school year.”
Harkless can play all five positions on the court pretty well, which causes matchup problems for most defenders on the high school level. He can shoot the ball over guards and use his quickness and handle to get around big men.
“Maurice is a late bloomer,” says Blue. “He has all the skills to be a very good college player. He definitely fits the mold of a Rudy Gay, Trevor Ariza type.”
As a junior last season, Harkless averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game while leading Forest Hills to an 11-3 record in New York City’s vaunted Public School Athletic League (PSAL). During the offseason, he also shined at the Nike IS8 summer tournament and in camps around the country, and announced that he’ll be transferring to South Kent Prep in Connecticut this upcoming school year.
“I can always get better,” says Harkless. “The most important thing for me right now is to get stronger physically and put the right amount of weight on my body.”
“I think he needs to be more vocal out there on the court,” adds Blue. “If he adds that to his game and thinks the game some more, it will be over for the competition.”
In the Nike IS8, Harkless went up against some of the best players in the Empire State and stood out. In one game against the New Heights AAU program, which boasted Class of 2010 standouts Jayvaughn Pinkston (Villanova) and Devon Collier (Oregon State), Harkless was often the best player on the court despite his team coming up short in a close loss.
Last December, Harkless committed to UConn, but with the program drawing some unwanted attention from the NCAA recently, he decided to re-open his recruitment. So far St. John’s, Maryland, Memphis and Arizona are among those on his list.
“UConn can still be my destination,” says Harkless. “I just want to take more visits to other schools and see what else is out there.”
Before that, he’s got to adjust to the new setting at South Kent, one of the nation’s top prep school programs that has recently produced Isaiah Thomas (Washington), Kevin Parrom (Arizona), Omari Lawrence (Kansas State), Jack McClinton (Miami), and NBA alums Dorell Wright (Golden State Warriors) and Andray Blatche (Washington Wizards).
“I think the move will help me mature off the court a lot,” says Harkless. “It’s kind of like a college life because I’ll be on my own and it will allow me to get away from the distractions of the city a little bit.
“I know I can play, and to some extent I do feel underrated, so I’ll just have to keep showing people what I can do.”
