When recruiting the class-of-2012, Notre Dame is hitting Indianapolis, Ind. hard.
After a standout sophomore season last winter, Gary Harris (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) is quickly gaining notoriety as one of the top players, not only in the city and its surrounding suburbs, but also in the state. Now, major college programs are coming to call on Harris for his services.
Notre Dame is among the suitors vying for Harris’ attention. Although not yet extending an offer, the 6-foot-4, 170-pound shooting guard has built a rapport with Irish assistant Anthony Solomon.
“He's a great guy,” Harris said. “He's always around and easy to talk to. He's done a great job with recruiting.”
Since Harris is just a couple of hours south of Notre Dame, the sophomore has paid the program a visit in the past. His first impressions were positive.
“They have a great coaching staff, a great school — it's a real prestigious school,” he said. “Every time I talk with the coaches, we all have a very good relationship.”
As for the campus, the sophomore was impressed with that as well.
“It was nice — so nice. It's a great campus,” Harris said.
Playing with the D3 Heat, his AAU squad, Harris helped lead the team to a tournament victory in the Motown Showdown several weeks ago in Detroit, Mich.
In total, Harris has accumulated offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Illinois, IUPUI, Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Xavier. A Notre Dame scholarship could be coming soon.
“I feel like they might be close to offering,” he said.
So far, most of the programs that have checked Harris out have been from the Midwest. With a two-and-a-half hour drive north on US-31 standing between Harris’ hometown and Notre Dame, the Irish may be one of the closest.
In any case, the sophomore shooting guard is searching more for an ideal fit.
“It just depends,” Harris said when asked if distance would factor into his decision. “It doesn't really matter at all. It's all about the right fit for me with which college I'm going to go to and where I can be the most successful at.”
When assessing the traits of all of the potential programs that are starting to draw Harris’ attention, there is one theme that resonates profoundly for the sophomore guard. According to him, it all starts with the coaching staff.
“They have to have coaches that I like,” Harris said. “Coaches that will make me feel comfortable when I get there and that will make me better when I get there and the comfortability I would have with the coaching staff and the school.”
In the past season, Mike Brey led a complete overhaul of Notre Dame’s identity. In the midst of the losing spell, the Irish coach revamped the squad’s offense to the burn, milking the shot clock to the very last seconds. Regardless if Brey goes back to the free-flowing, aggressive offense from the beginning of the season or the burn, Harris feels like he could assimilate into the system.
“Of course I could fit in,” Harris said. “I’m a shooting guard. I can score, I’m athletic, I can shoot. I think I would fit their system really well.”
Since the sophomore’s recruitment is only starting to pick up, Harris does not yet list a group of favorites.
“I’m really sorting through all of them,” Harris said. “I don’t have a list of favorites yet. I’m not really in a hurry, so I’m just taking it in right now.”
As a result, the shooting guard isn’t rushing matters and has no idea when he will make a final decision. Harris has not put any timetable on when he will know — he’s relying on his instincts for that.
“It depends,” Harris said. “Whenever I think I’m ready — when I’m ready, I’ll make my decision. I’m just not ready yet.”
