This month Alea Harris announced her commitment to play for Wofford College in the Southern Conference. Harris, a Cincinnati, Ohio, native plays on the travel circuit with All Ohio Xpress and at Summit Country Day during the high school season. The class of 2018 graduate had earned offers from Detroit Mercy, Oakland University and High Point before ultimately deciding upon the Terriers. This week we go IN FOCUS with the 5-foot-8 combo guard to gain insight on her commitment, the plans for her future and what factors helped her become the player that she is today.
Extremely excited and beyond blessed to announce my commitment to further my academics and athletics at Wofford College! #goterriers pic.twitter.com/lPn7hCruRf
— Alea Harris (@aleaaa_raee) July 30, 2017
Harris is a member of the Peach State Basketball #SMPMember Recruiting Exposure Program. Learn more about this program and the opportunity to build awareness about player’s play on court HERE.
When it came time to decide on a college, Harris looked at things off the court as the most influential.
“It felt like home as soon as I stepped on campus,” Harris said. “There is something different and unique from the other colleges that I visited.”
A high academic recruit, Harris made the educational aspect an important part of her decision as well.
“Wofford is considered the strongest school academically in the State of South Carolina,” Harris said. “Knowing that I would leave school with a great education motivated my decision a lot.”
Head coach Jimmy Garrity’s straightforward communication style impressed Harris as well.
“The coaching staff has been very honest with me from the beginning of their recruitment. They wanted to see improvement in certain areas of my game before they offered. That lets me know that I will be pushed by the staff to continue that development throughout my time at Wofford.”
Harris is aware that she did not arrive to this point on her own. She points to her parents balanced view of the process as key to getting to play in front of the right people at the right times.
“(My parents) sacrificed so much time and money to put me in the best situation to get exposure and improve my game. However, the never really pressured me. They just let me play and let me take control of my own process.”
Everything that she did was by her own choice, which allowed her to develop her own true passion for the game. By allowing Harris to find her path on the court, two coaches could impact in great ways.
“Beth Simmons (high school coach) and Kelly Peek (AAU coach) pushed me to get stronger. They always put me in situations to improve my leadership and skills.”
EBA All-American Camp in 2015 is a moment that Harris points to as a defining moment in her development.
“That camp was a critical moment for me, because it showed me where I stood amongst some of the best players in the country.”
Click here for Harris profile with EBA evaluations
Harris’ work is not finished as she heads into her senior year of high school.
“Personally, I want to score my 1,000th point this season. And we also want to keep our undefeated record in conference for a fourth year. That combined with winning the conference championship for a fourth consecutive year would be special. After that the goal is always to win a state championship.”
Harris intends on majoring in biology with a pre-Med focus and has plans to be a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant following college graduation.
Jonathan Hemingway is the Assistant Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report, is on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and owns CoachHemi.com, the go-to source for coaches for X’s and O’s. He is the floor director of #TeamEBA camps, a site director for #TeamPSB tournaments and can be reached at jonathanhemingway@peachstatebasketball.com.
