Though he’s merely a senior in high school, it seems like Tobias Harris has done this a million times before.

The 6-foot-8 forward out of Half Hollow Hills West (N.Y.) High School is one of the most sought after prospects in the 2010 recruiting class, ranked No. 5 overall on Rivals.com. And though the recruiting process can get baffling, Harris and his father have outlined a methodical approach to ensure the right decision is made.

‘His father knows what he’s doing,’ HHHW coach Bill Mitaritonna said. ‘And he’s doing what’s best for his son. He wants to make sure he does it the right way and doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers.’

Starting with a pool of 11 schools, Harris spent time with representatives from each university over an eight-day period of in-home visits in early September. Now Harris has made a round of cuts, narrowing the field to a group of seven that includes Syracuse. After making the announcement Friday, Harris made a weekend visit to SU’s campus, Mitaritonna confirmed.

‘He made the cuts last week and then immediately went to Syracuse, so I guess that’s a pretty good thing, huh?’ Mitaritona said.

In the beginning, Harris started with a block of schools – Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Tennessee, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Maryland. Per his father’s instructions, Harris listened to each and every sales pitch, taking everything into consideration.

With each one trying to sell him a different way, Mitaritona said Harris had to cut through all the sales pitches, the purpose of the initial round of interviews was to see which coaches would shoot him straight.

‘He said some coaches just put it out on the table, where others were being very generic,’ Mitaritonna said. ‘He liked the fact that some of them were being honest and didn’t try and sell him anything. They just said this is what we are and this is what we’re all about.’

Now, via this method, there’s another round of cuts to be made. This time, Harris will make official visits to five of the remaining seven schools (per NCAA regulations, players can make five paid visits): Syracuse, Louisville, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Maryland.

Mitaritonna said there are a few more factors that will go into the next few visits. Namely, Harris is looking for a team that fits him stylistically, and personnel-wise.

As a versatile big-man with the ability to control the ball, Harris would fit best into an open offense that allows him to make plays and create off the dribble.

‘His dad calls him a point-forward,’ Mitaritonna said. ‘So I think that’s what he’s more comfortable doing, he’s a playmaker. He likes the fact that he can be a forward that can pass the ball, so I think he knows what each school does and what schools would help him.’

But through it all, Mitaritonna said it’s most important for Harris to keep his head. Constant interactions with a bevy of coaches can run its course on a players decision making skills and his ego, although it’s something he’s not worried about with Harris. The process has kept him grounded and level-headed.

‘It’s been crazy but he’s enjoyed it though,’ Mitaritonna said. ‘He’s enjoyed meeting different coaches and different people and visiting different schools so, I think he’s enjoyed the whole process. I just told him, ‘ultimately it’s got to be your decision, its your life, go with your heart and you’ll be fine.”

Big East Tournament retains format

After a trial-run last season, the Big East will continue to invite all 16 teams to its postseason tournament, a Big East official confirmed last week.

Last year was the first season all 16 teams were eligible for play, with the bottom eight seeds facing off in an opening round, and the winners playing seeds 5 through 8 the next day. The top four seeds received double byes.

In 2009, Syracuse was the No. 6 seed and faced off against bottom-eight winner Seton Hall on day two before reaching the tournament finals, losing to Louisville 76-66.

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on September 29, 2009 at 12:00 pm