http://www.fiveborosports.com/ssp/news?news_id=3689Maurice Harkless rolled his eyes and gazed skyward as he was asked to tick off his interested suitors.
UConn.
St. John’s.
Florida State.
West Virginia.
He yawned, stretched his lanky arms over his head, look over at the court behind him, then glanced at the floor as he listed just a few of them.
Harkless, the rising 6-foot-7 junior out of Forest Hills HS who has enjoyed a breakthrough summer, would rather run wind sprints than discuss his potentially promising future. He leaves that to his advisor, Nate Blue, and high-school coach, Ben Chobhaphand.
Last week, when he returned home from the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, he asked Chobhaphand how his summer was going instead of boasting about his sudden high-major Division I prospects. The two have yet to discuss them.
“It hasn’t fazed him,†Chobhaphand said of the wiry-strong 16-year-old kid from South Jamaica who he calls his best player yet in five years at the Queens school.
In a lengthy interview Friday afternoon at Summer in the City, a one-day AAU tournament at St. John’s, Harkless talked about his newfound fame, the result of a busy summer playing with the Long Island Lightning, Juice All-Stars and New York Elite, which went by SpongeTech Elite on Friday. He has played in front of hundreds of high-level college coaches at numerous events.
The attention, Harkless said, was “intimidating,†initially, all those sets of eyes following his every move. He quickly adjusted.
“It makes me want to keep working to get more and more (offers),†he said, “so I can pick what school I want.â€
He has grown used to the attention. At Summer in the City, with Kentucky coach John Calipari and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl following his game, he played Rice standout Jermaine Sanders, who some have rated as the best New York City player in the class of 2011, to a draw.
“It doesn’t effect me at all now,†he said. “I keep playing.â€
Blue called Harkless an ordinary kid blessed with extraordinary talents. Close friend Mike Poole, a rising senior at St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) and fellow Queens native, said Harkless is quiet and unassuming. He likes to keep to himself.
A talented player out of P.S. 238 in Jamaica, Harkless didn’t take basketball seriously until last summer, Poole said, when he played with Blue’s program, Real Scout. The two began working out together last summer and have done the same this year.
“He has all the qualities of being a big-time player,†said Poole, who has played with several Division I players at St. Benedict’s, including Scott Machado of Iona, the MAAC Rookie of the Year, and Louisville big man Samardo Samuels. “We all push him because we know what he can be.â€
He doesn’t need much prodding. Chobhaphand said Harkless doesn’t necessarily work more than others like him, but he is consistent, spending every day of the week in the gym.
“Mo’s a throwback kind-of-kid,†Chobhaphand said. “He’s just worrying about getting better. That’s what separates him from other kids.â€
Said Blue: “It doesn’t affect him, because he plays basketball for fun. Hopefully after high school and college, it’s something he can get paid for doing. But if not, he’ll get paid for something else. He’s a bright kid.â€
He enjoyed a phenomenal sophomore season for Forest Hills, leading the Rangers to their first Queens borough crown. He was thrust into a major role due to injuries and academic ineligibility of those around him. Yet, he only got better as Forest Hills’ roster of upperclassmen shrunk.
“He wanted possessions; he didn’t want to take a backseat,†Chobhaphand said. “You don’t see that in a lot of sophomores.â€
Even more impressively, Harkless hasn’t let any of it get to his head – the Big East offers, his rising ranking, his sophomore season. Instead, he has looked to add dimensions to his game. Knowing he will likely be a small forward at the next level, he has set out to improve his perimeter game – expanding range to his jumpshot and working on his ball-handling and on-the-ball defense, two weaknesses. Even during the season, he was taking extra jump shots and pushing himself through dribbling drills, on his own time.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, Blue said. Harkless needs to raise his basketball IQ and continue working on extending the range on his jump shot. The part-time AAU coach still doesn’t understand why Harkless isn’t known more nationwide.
That doesn’t bother Harkless, however. He is focused on the task at hand: incrementally getting better each and every day. Those watching – and growing interested – is just a byproduct.