Jared Harris, Memphis basketball's only true freshman, knows what's ahead of him

Jared Harris will graduate from Silsbee High School on Friday.

By Sunday, when the 6-foot-4 guard arrives on campus from Texas, he will be a member of the Memphis basketball program. And unless coach Penny Hardaway signs another high school recruit — which is possible, because he has multiple open scholarships and there are still three months until the fall semester begins — Harris will have the distinction of being the Tigers’ only true freshman on the 2024-25 roster.

A daunting proposition for some. Hardaway’s rebuilding efforts (seven incoming Division I transfers) have been well documented. And that’s in addition to Memphis bringing back forward Nicholas Jourdain and potentially getting another season with leading scorer and rebounder David Jones, who is still deciding whether to keep his name in the NBA draft.

But Harris — a four-star and top-100 recruit — understands the assignment.

“It makes me feel like I have to grind even harder just to even get on the court,” he said. “I’m gonna be a pup. I’ll be playing with people who have already been in college. Waking up early, working out, putting up shots, staying in practice three or four hours.

“I know I’ve got to come in grinding.”

Harris averaged 21.4 points per game as a senior, while shooting 53% from the field. He led Silsbee to the Class 4A state championship game and put up a team-best 19 points in the loss to Faith Family.

On the grassroots side, Harris suited up for the Houston Superstars, an AAU team coached by John Eurey that competed on the NY2LA Sports circuit last summer and the Under Armour Association the year before. It was at an event in Dallas in August 2023 where Memphis assistant coach Rick Stansbury first caught a glimpse of Harris.

Stansbury was sold on Harris in short order — and vice versa. Harris took an official visit to Memphis in September, committed within hours, and signed in November.

Eurey (who also coached another Texas native and Memphis newcomer, guard PJ Haggerty) describes Harris as a modern athlete with a throwback feel.

“He can shoot it. He’s athletic, he’s fast, he’s clever, he’s long,” Eurey said. “He’s very, very coachable. Very mild-mannered. He doesn’t get rattled, but he’s a killer in that rectangle. Just like (Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards) said, ‘Kill everything in front of me.’ That’s Jared Harris.”

MEMPHIS BASKETBALL: Is Tigers' transfer class one of the best? An analytics guru explains why it is

The third of four children, Harris picked up his first scholarship offer, from Lamar University, prior to his freshman year of high school. A year later, following a breakout performance at the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches showcase, Harris said he scored eight offers on the 5?-hour drive from Dallas back to Silsbee.

“It was like call after call after call,” he said.

Harris took visits to TCU, Texas A&M and LSU, among others. But Memphis sold him.

“They showed him a lot of love and liked all that,” Harris’ mother, Regina, said. “During his visit, they showed him a video with his highlights and (Hardaway’s) highlights. Jared could see the likeness with the style of shots and everything.”

Harris watched as much of the Tigers’ 2023-24 season as he could. He pictured himself in the uniform. Playing at FedExForum and playing for Hardaway. He is confident he will fit in well.

“I like to get up and down — fast-pace, fast-break type of guy,” he said. “But I can set up and shoot. I can jump a little. And I really like to get my teammates involved.”

Considering most of his new teammates will have a leg up on him in the experience department, Harris understands nothing will come easy.

“He’s gonna have to earn whatever he gets, because Penny is bringing in some really good players,” Eurey said. “But I’m not worried about that. He’s gonna show the staff and Penny, ‘Look, I’m gonna compete and I’m here to stay.’ “

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected] or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball true freshman Jared Harris knows the challenge