St. John's guard recruit D'Angelo Harrison is known for his quick shot and ability to fill up the stat sheet.
But maybe his skill set - and how he can contribute to next year's young Red Storm team - has been sold a little short?
Harrison only scored 8 points at the Derby Classic, but had some nice moments passing the ball. Some notes from recaps, and his stat line, below the fold.
On a night filled with Cody Zeller (16 points, 9 total rebounds, team MVP award) and Louisville recruits showing out - 10 points for incoming center Zach Price, 16 points and a tantalizing show of potential from the Bronx' Angel Nunez, and 11 points and 11 total rebounds from Chane Behanan - D'Angelo Harrison made it into a few recaps. From the Indianapolis Star:
The White team trailed all the way until a third-quarter rally. St.John's signee D'Angelo Harrison hit back-to-back three-pointers that tied it at 92, and his alley-oop pass to LeBryan Nash gave the team its biggest lead at 108-99.
From Slam Magazine:
D’Angelo Harrison certainly isn’t filling up the stat sheet, but dude is playing harder than anyone out there. Hustling all over the floor, making the right pass, and not playing strictly for the highlights are a few of the things that the St. John’s commit is doing out there.
In the past, there were knocks on Harrison's attitude and energy level, especially on the defensive end. What if his attitude has improved? What if playing with better players makes him a better role player? What if he's a different player when he's not carrying a whole team on his back, as he did for Dulles High, scoring over 31 points and grabbing 10 total rebounds per game?
Not only is it great to hear that Harrison is not playing to fill the stat sheet great. The way he filled the Derby Classic stat sheet (.pdf) was very promising:
| Player | FG | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | Off | Def | Tot | PF | TP | A | TO | Stl | Min | |
| HARRISON,D'Angelo | 3 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
5 assists?!
That's some unselfish play. Could Harrison challenge for the lead guard role with the Johnnies? Certainly, from what we saw from the game, he could be the backup point guard in a pinch. And that's best for his future money-making prospects - at 6'2" or so, he'll need to be able to handle to play on the pro level. There's a lot to like about D'Angelo Harrison's game.