WVU Transfer Eron Harris finally receives release; Beilein already involved

Submitted by michchi85 on

Title says it all, from Jeff Goodman:

GoodmanESPN
West Virginia transfer Eron Harris has finally received his release. Told ESPN that Michigan's John Beilein has already contacted him today.
5/7/14, 11:37 AM

 

PurpleStuff

May 7th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^

If you in fact have a direct line to beseech the almighty, I would suggest an adjustment in your priorities.  I'm sure you could have a much more positive impact on the world if you broadened your requests to include more pressing global issues than who John Beilein offers a scholarship to play basketball at Michigan.

bballislife22

May 7th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^

Yes please. Harris is the best case scenario of all the transfers, better than Huff even. Would be a HUGE get, I see him as a perfect replacement for Caris once he inevitably goes pro.

Carl Alphonse

May 7th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^

Speaking of a sophomore leap

SEASON TEAM G MIN FG FGA FG% FG3 FG3A FG3% FT FTA FT% PTS AVG
2012-13 West Virginia 31 683 95 227 41.9 44 125 35.2 71 92 77.2 305 9.8
2013-14 West Virginia 33 1035 183 418 43.8 89 211 42.2 113 132 85.6 568 17.2

 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^

He had a better 2 pt FG% than Gary Harris.  44% from a guard is not "average" - there are volume scorers out there doing 39-41%...

Ok maybe he doesnt play defense but I posted a side by side below of Gary Harris vs Eron Harris and Eron is better in every shooting %.  I guess his defense must be the worst in the NCAA if he cannot get drafted with better stats than Gary Harris who is a lottery pick.  Gary Harris is a whopping inch taller.

AA2Denver

May 7th, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^

Yeah. I edited my comment after seeing your comparison. 

Sometimes guys get drafted higher than their stat line suggests because of perceived potential. There are intangles too, i.e. game winning steals a la Burke vs. MSU. Passing, defense, etc. 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^

Yes I get it.  Maybe he is a borderline NBA player but it seems weird to sit out 1 year and then another until he could play professionally (after his junior year) so in effect give up 2 years.  If he is not good enough to get to the NBA with that stat line he is going to be 2 years older the next time he gets a chance to be drafted and we all know here with our own players how "bad" it is to be 2 years older.  I dont see what else stat wise he is going to be able to do at the college level to help his stock - very few players average more than 17 ppg at the NCAA level.  Playing a little better defense as a junior is not going to change his stock 2 years later.

Raoul

May 7th, 2014 at 2:11 PM ^

Why is he transferring by the way?

His stated reason is because he wanted to be closer to home (which is Indianapolis). Here's a bit more from an Indy Star item:

Harris' father, Eric Harris, said this afternoon that a number of schools have already been in contact today. The list includes Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame, Butler, New Mexico and UCLA.

The elder Harris said proximity to home is a factor, but finding the right coach is the No. 1 priority.

"We respected coach (Bob) Huggins coaching style but it probably wasn't the right fit," Harris said. "Looking for that right fit as far as a coach goes is the biggest thing."

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^

That should bode well for Beilein.  He is probably as different as you can find from a Huggins (or Crean/Izzo type) if you base it solely on demeanor.   I don't know if Huggins has mellowed out lately - I am basing my comment on his Cincy days.

Naked Bootlegger

May 7th, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^

Wouldn't it also be so completely weird for him to want a college degree?  If he transferred to UM, he would sit out a year, work out like crazy w/ Sanderson, take a bunch of classes, play a year, then go to the NBA with...maybe...a UM degree (not sure how many WVU credits will transfer to UM, which would play a huge role in determining if he could graduate after 2 years at UM).   That's kind of cool.   It would be even cooler if he stayed for 2 years. 

Raoul

May 7th, 2014 at 9:01 PM ^

That Indy Star item has been updated since I quoted from it. The new version doesn't inclulde Louisville as being among the schools that have contacted Harris.

Also, Goodman has tweeted a slightly different list:

LSAClassOf2000

May 7th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^

If anyone is curious, if those numbers were on our roster in this past season, only Nik Stauskas would hhave had more points as well as a higher PPG. He would have had the third most accurate 3FG% - only Stauskas and Irvin could beat those numbers. He would have been one of the 5-6 people with a 40% or greater FG percentage too. Granted, it isn't much of a comparison per se, but it shows that, in the system he played in, he's already as productive as some of our starters on some metrics. This would be an excellent addition indeed. 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^

Yes my exact same question

Here is Gary Harris vs Eron Harris for comparison last year:

  • FG %: Gary .429% - Eron .438%
  • 3 PT FG%:  Gary .352%  - Eron .422%
  • FT % Gary .810% -  Eron .856%

So on all 3 shooting stats - Eron Harris is better than Gary Harris.  At the 3 pt line Eron is at Zak Irvin level.  Gary Harris is 1 inch taller.  One guy is a lottery pick - the other guy is going to sit out a year to transfer?  I am boggled.

Gary rebounds 0.5 more a game than Eron (4.0 to 3.5) and assists 2.7 to 1.6 but still... seems like on stats alone Eron would be a top 15-20 pick.

reanimator

May 7th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^

Gary Harris DRTG 99.3, 5th on his team 

Eron Harris DRTG 111, 9th on his team 

Gary Harris is also a better passer, ballhawk and did it in a better conference on a winning team and came in with higher accolades 

 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^

Yes I agree Gary Harris is a better player and has the other intangibles.   Just strange that a guy like this is seen as a nobody who is not draftable whereas Harris is probably going 10th overall.  I am not saying Eron is of the same caliber - just strange he appears to not have a chance to be drafted due to these intangibles.  A guy like Zach Lavine is going to be drafted high due to "potential" and has 2 inches on Eron but other than FG% his stats aren't even close to Eron's. (37% from 3PT, 69% FT)

I am saying this only halfway tongue in cheek - if being 6'3 means you have no chance in the NBA I would encourage Coach Beilein to stick to recruiting 6'3 SGs so we can keep them 4 years.  I'd take 4 year players like Eron every day of the week.

Blue in Yarmouth

May 8th, 2014 at 8:07 AM ^

and if he desire to transfer was to develop his game from a defensive standpoint will he really look at UM? That's a genuine question as I've really only started watching basketball again over the past 4 seasons, but the one glaring problem I see with UM over that span has been their defense. Does coach B have a history of coaching and developing good defenders/ Again, that's a genuine question, i'm not trying to be a smart ass.

Erik_in_Dayton

May 7th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^

I may be overly impressed from a small sample, but I was at the WVU v. Kansas game late in the year, and he looked really good.  He's quick, and he has a pure stroke.  It would be great if he were a little taller, but I'll take him. 

MGoLogan

May 7th, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^

I'd imagine Coleman is a higher priority than Harris.  I will admit that my opinion of Harris is based on his high school days at Lawrence North (Indianapolis) and I have not seen him play much at WVU, but I feel Coleman has a higher ceiling than Harris.  Harris has definitely improved his shooting the last couple years so it is clear he has put in a lot of work.  I just think Coleman is a different type of player than UM currently has on its roster while Harris is similar to Irvin, only 3 or 4 inches shorter. 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^

"bird in hand" fellas.  What if Eron says he wants to come in 10 days?  And you have to wait 6 months for a 30% chance at Jalen.  Or a 50% chance, etc.  So you say no to a sure thing for a 50% chance of something.  When the players are not that dissimilar in terms of what they can provide to you as a program. 

At this point any top 50 player in the country I assume won't be at UM for more than 2 years.

So, if Jalen is as good as we all think, he goes to the NBA after 2 years.  So would you rather have a junior Eron vs a freshman Jalen?  We can talk about ceiling as much as we want but that ceiling will probably be reached in Jalen's sophomore year or his first-second year in the NBA where it is not applicable to UM anyway.

Last point, Beilein is out there contacting him today - so obviously has this as a priority.

MGoLogan

May 7th, 2014 at 1:28 PM ^

You definitely have a point and it would be a very large risk to turn down Harris in hope of getting Coleman.  I actually think JB would take both, obviously if they both wanted to come.  I will give credit where it is due and admit that I did not see Harris becoming this type of college player.  He has improved tremendously and I can't help but think what he could do with a whole year of development with the top notch staff at UM. 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:40 PM ^

Yes this is true but that scholarship is not going to be used this year since there is not a grad transfer available to us who can play immediately so it will (a) either sit unused or (b) go to Eron Harris.  So it will be 'not helpful to the 2014-2015' team either way.  So it's a wash.

 

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:59 PM ^

Yes sir, that was my same argument for Huff over ANY freshman (not named Okafur etc lol)

You get a guy who on Sept 1, 2015 has been in the program a year, has 2 years under his belt, has had Sanderson for a year, has been practicing against our guys for a year etc.  Versus a freshman who will get here in summer 2015, be practicing for 2 months and make his normal mistakes and have a NCAA learning curve. 

I know everyone is in love with high 4 star/5 star recruits but if they are not Julius Randle, Okafur, Parker level I'd rather get a high level productive "low 4 star-ish" NCAA junior to be (Huff/Harris) who can train with the team for a full year, get "Sandersized" and be let out of the gate as a fire breathing junior on day 1 of his life at Michigan than a wide eyed freshman who has oodles of potential (NBA or otherwise) but will strugge on and off his freshman year before taking his sophomore leap.  That transfer will be more valuable to the team IMO his first year.  And the second year will be a wash as the freshman makes his sophomore leap but the junior becomes an invaluable senior.  And there is no chance of a complete flop with said junior to be... unlike any freshman.

NBA potential is for the NBA - I am always thinking about what the kid can contribute to UM basketball.  If player A has a better NBA ceiling than player B, but player B contributes more because he is a junior versus player A as a NBA prospect freshman - well what matters to our team is his NCAA contribution.

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 1:36 PM ^

In theory you could but we have a very small amount of scholarships in 2015.  Right now there is 1 outstanding scholarship.  On top of that you assume Caris goes to the draft.  That is 1 other in 2015.  So you have 2 "likely" open spots right now for 2015.

Then you have the Hatch question.  And some here believe Bielfeldt will be sent a "firm handshake" (it doesnt sound like it to me from how highly Beilein praises Max). 

So if for example Harris commits you have 0 scholarships for next year until the dominos begin to fall.  I'd assume 1-2 scholarships open up - so it's a small class.

I think most are looking for at least 1 "5" out of the 2015 class but right now all our targets have seemed to diss us and Beilein has talked about potentially finding the next 5 in "2015 or 2016" in the past week, which might reflect the fact our primary center targets in 2015 have not shown interest back in UM.  So if no 5 in the 2015 class than I guess you can get a second 2, but I don't see a 2 like Jalen who probably has 2 years of college as his goal, sitting behind a transfer who averaged 17 ppg.  He is going to want to start as a freshman.

Kramer

May 7th, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^

I don't think you take a 5 in the next class.  We'll have Donnal and Doyle worst case as Sophmore eligibility (assuming Doyle plays as a true Freshmen), and with the recent stance that Donnal is a 5 for now, you don't need another 5 until at least 2016.  Doyle and Donnal don't seem like early departure risks, but Irvin and Chatman could both be gone by 2016, so a stud 2 or 3 is needed most in 2015, and a stud PG in 2016 at the latest.  I think that is reflected in the current target/offers for 2015 and 2016.

alum96

May 7th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^

Yes increasingly looking like Donnal might be a 5 his whole career here or at least thru his junior year.  If there is no 5 in the 2015 class than that will be the case IMO as eventually best case Doyle plays 25 minutes or so and you get Donnal 15 at 5, and maybe 10 out at the 4. 

Two months ago we all thought Donnal is your eventual stretch 4, but its a lot easier to find 4s out there than 5s so its sounding like he is going to be a stretch 5.  I would have loved to see Mitch at 5, and Donnal at the stretch 4 this year just to see how it would work.

I'm a big believer that at the 5, except for exceptional talent, it really helps to have them come in and redshirt a year esp for rebounding and defensive purposes.  Mitch is the only 5 we've had of late that didn't RS and he struggled a lot in the first half of his season, even as a top 30 recruit. As Bacari said with Donnal - now he has the strength to rebound in traffic after a year in the program whereas if we just threw in him a year ago it would be an issue.  This is my only reason to think a 2015  5 would be nice so you could redshirt him a year and then get him out there to play in 2016-2017 when Doyle and Donnal are juniors. 

Also you have to account for potential injuries - if one of those 2 gets hurt at any point in the next 2 years you are really screwed.  We are very thin - Max is not really a 5.  We only have two on the entire roster; we need 3 in the program and a 2015 RS would be spaced nicely (2 years eligibility) versus a Doyle/Donnal. 

Last, Beilein HAS been trying to recruit a 5 in this 2015 class so obviously he would have liked one - our targets just have not been interested.