It seemed like a recipe for success just one season ago when the now deposed NC State head coach Sidney Lowe reeled in one of the top recruiting classes in the country. The trio of talented players led by PG Ryan Harrow, SF CJ Leslie, and SG Lorenzo Brown was being touted as one of the best incoming trios in college basketball. But after another forgettable sub .500 season, marred by player inconsistencies and questionable coaching moves, Lowe was sent packing with Harrow announcing he would like to transfer.
Harrow’s announcement wasn’t a shock to me since he was once a Top 20 rated prospect in the 2010 Class but came off the bench for most of last season behind the now graduated Javier Gonzalez. Despite some early struggles adjusting to the college game, Harrow averaged 9.3 ppg and 3.3 assists in only 23 minutes per night. His best game of the year came during the Wolfpack’s non-conference schedule, notching an impressive 20 point, 5 assist, and 3 steal gem against SC Upstate.
Never a stranger to the highlight reel play, the Marietta, Georgia native rather quickly excited Wolfpack fans in early December by pulling off Boston Celtics PG Rajon Rondo’s now signature “Round the World” move to go along with scoring 17 points in a blowout win against Tennessee Tech.
After essentially re-opening his recruitment over the past month, even going on some unofficial visits, Harrow ultimately chose Kentucky over a number of schools like Louisville and GT by announcing on Twitter “I am a Kentucky Wildcat!” In accordance with NCAA rules, he will be forced to sit out next season and still have 3 years of eligibility remaining beginning in ’12-’13.
Will he be next in a long line of Coach Calipari disciples at PG that flock to the NBA following Rose, Evans, Wall, Knight, and Teague? Possibly, but it may come a few seasons longer than his one-and-done predecessors before him. Harrow fills a glaring need at PG for Kentucky’s 2012 recruiting class, which to this point doesn’t have many stand-out point guards, outside of Kyle Anderson, ranking among the Top 20 players in the country.
While many have compared the young Harrow’s up and down floor game to that of future NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, he’s not without his flaws. One area in need of improvement is shot selection, as he connected on only 39% from the floor, including 22% on threes, during his freshman campaign. He also turned the ball over nearly 2 times per night in only 23 minutes of action. He will definitely need to add the three point shot to his arsenal since it is a staple of Calipari’s offense. The good news is that he will have a year to practice against incoming elite level PG Marquis Teague.
Be sure to check out our new Forums section and give your opinion on whether Harrow to Kentucky is a good fit and if he will be the next great UK guard.
Check out a video of Ryan Harrow highlights from HS:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
