Harris to Stay Close, Attend Northridge

NORTHRIDGE —  Rico Harris, the 1996-97 state junior college men’s basketball player of the year for L.A. City College, has accepted a scholarship offer from Cal State Northridge.

Harris, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds a game while leading L.A. City to the 1997 state title as a freshman.

He said in a faxed statement Thursday that, “After a lot of thought and discussion with my family, I feel that the most comfortable thing for me to do at this point is to stay close to home and play basketball and go to school at Cal State Northridge.”

Bobby Braswell, entering his third season as the Matadors’ coach, confirmed that Harris had accepted a scholarship offer from Northridge.

NCAA rules prevent Braswell from commenting further because Harris hasn’t signed a letter of intent with Northridge.

He therefore can be recruited by other schools until he attends class at Northridge. The fall semester starts Aug. 31.

Although Harris will be a huge addition to a Northridge team that was 12-16 and finished sixth in the Big Sky Conference last season, he has a checkered past.

As a freshman at Arizona State, he and recruits Tommie Prince and George Gervin, the son of the former NBA great, were arrested in March 1996 on suspicion of sexual and physical assault of a female student and another woman in an athletic dormitory.

Charges were dropped against the three players because prosecutors said the women had conflicting stories about the alleged incident.

All three athletes were academically ineligible at the time and Harris transferred to L.A. City shortly thereafter.

He helped the Cubs to a 30-6 record and the state title during his freshman season.

They finished 26-7 last season when he averaged 18.5 points and nine rebounds.

“His perimeter shooting is his greatest asset,” L.A. City Coach Mike Miller said.

“That’s what sets him apart from other players his size. He is an above-average defensive rebounder, but a below-average offensive rebounder.”

Harris, who averaged 28 points and 15 rebounds as a senior at Temple City High in 1994-95, declared himself eligible for the NBA draft earlier this year, but later withdrew his name from consideration.

“The consensus from the NBA scouts was that he wasn’t quite ready,” Miller said.

Harris committed to Rhode Island last summer, but he never signed a letter of intent. Harris concluded his fax by saying “I am excited about the opportunity to perform around my family and play basketball in the state I grew up in, California.”