Harris Joins Flynn and Devo For A Swim In The Draft Pool
It was announced on SUAthletics.com today that Paul Harris will join Jonny Flynn and Eric Devndorf in declaring himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Making matters more serious for the Orange is the Zagsblog report that Devo and Harris intend to hire agents. Oddly, Flynn, the player widely perceived as having the best crack at the pros, still has not hired a rep.
There are lots of reasons behind Harris’ decision:
1.The rocky and well-publicized turn that Harris’ relationship with Jim Boeheim took this season
2. Seeing Wes Johnson already nipping at his heels on next year’s depth chart
3. Harris has some kids to take care of
4. His high school buddy may or not be back at school
It’s easy to see the rationale behind the move, about as easy as it is to see that Paul Harris would struggle in the NBA next season, should he make a team. I’m not sure I want to know the going rate for a 6’4 forward with no jump shot whose numbers declined sharply in his last year at college, but what I do know is that it’s better across the pond than it is in the states. If he’s not willing to fight for playing time with college competition, how is going to do the same thing (and win playing time) in the NBA?
Multiple Orange players have been selected in the same draft 11 times; none of those 11 occasions have featured more than one player who left the Hill early, so if the Zagsblog report holds true, we’d be dealing with an exodus on a level the SU program has never seen. So what do all these departures mean for the future of the program, apart from some extra scholarships opening up?
For one, Wes Johnson should bring in an upgrade in size as well as scoring production. We knew the chances were decent for Johnson to unseed Harris as a starting forward, but losing Paul will still hurt from a depth standpoint. There are no indications that Southerland will be ready to play a major role at the start of this season, so assuming the worst, the depth chart may shake out something like this:
PG: Jardine/Triche
SG: Rautins/Jones/Triche
SF: Johnson/Joseph/Southerland
PF: Onuaku/Jackson/Riley/Johnson
C: Jackson/Onuaku/Riley
At the point guard spot, not only will Flynn be missed because he was counted on to do so much, but also because waiting in the wings is one player who sat out all last season and saw limited action before that, and an incoming freshman. Andy Rautins will be the incumbent sharpshooter, and there’s a chance for Triche and Jardine to compete for the starting point guard spot, but some real depth questions will have to be answered in the backcourt. Up front, things seem strangely fine, but the onus will be on Arine Onuaku to fulfill whatever potential he has left as he enters his senior year.
