Caxys' Harris climbing recruiting ladders

Updated: May 19, 2011 9:51PM

The consensus among recruiting analysts is that there is a lack of high-major talent in the junior class in Illinois.

But players like Steve Taylor of Simeon have started to gain national respect and the recruiting attention that comes with it, while others are still trying to get to the upper echelon of elite-level college basketball by playing well on the AAU circuit.

Among those trying to gain respect is Lake Forest Academy guard Charles Harris. The 6-foot-4 Harris, playing with Full Package Elite on the AAU circuit, is trying to become a priority for college basketball programs. Along with other emerging players like Oak Park-River Forest point guard Ka’Darryl Bell and Warren forward Darius Paul, Harris should have coaches checking him out in droves with the July evaluation period begins.

“I like playing with Full Package,” Harris said. “I’ve been playing with Ka’Darryl and Darius for a long time and we really know each other well out there on the court.”

Harris, a very good athlete and wide receiver who also ranks No. 24 in Tom Lemming’s top 30 football players in the 2012 class of Illinois, is getting some interest from the Big Ten as a basketball player.

“I’m hearing from Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin and a lot of Big Ten schools,” Harris said.

Harris also claims to hold a scholarship offer from Oregon State. Full Package assistant coach Sam Story thinks Harris has the desire to play at the highest level.

“Charles has the ability to take over games at any time with his willingness to attack the defense both on the dribble and from the perimeter,” Story said. “His improvement and desire to improve as a shooter has made him even tougher to guard both in transition and in the half court.”

Recruiting analyst Brian Snow also likes Harris’ upside.

“Harris has a lot of potential and is nowhere near now where he could be in the future,” Snow said. “Charles is a very athletic wing with the ability to get to the rim off the dribble. He is at his best finishing around the basket where his leaping ability and strength are an asset. In order to make the next step as a player he needs to improve his jump shot out to three-point range, but he is a capable scorer in the mid-range.”

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