Gary Harris, Jr., the Michigan State recruit who snagged the Indiana Mr. Basketball title last week, will sit out the Jordan Brand Classic game tonight. Per Diamond Leung of MLive.com, Harris has chosen to nurse a lingering injury and rest his body rather than put on a show in Charlotte.
“Wish I could play tonight, but I have to sit this one out! I need to let my body recover,” Harris said via Twitter.
Harris scored 8 points in 25 minutes at last week’s Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. With the MSU commit sitting this one out, all eyes will be on his East teammate, Nerlens Noel. Well, more than they were already, that is. The Kentucky commit has been in the spotlight for some time, and his appearance this weekend will no doubt fuel the burgeoning excitement building in Big Blue Nation.
Harris is expected to take the court again on a barnstorming tour with the Indianapolis Star All-Star Team in June.
The injury - a groin strain that Harris has nursed since the high school season was in full swing - must be for real. He’s even missing prom.
The Jordan Brand All-Star Game will be televised at 7 p.m. tonight on ESPN. It’s a pretty good chance to gauge the offensive skills of the nation’s top recruits, imagine how they’ll fit in wherever it is they’ve committed, and pretend you don’t notice that nobody’s playing any defense. It’s recruiting season in a nutshell, in other words.