Jamir Harris, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound point guard from Elizabeth (NJ) Patrick School, signed with Minnesota last fall.
Harris has helped lead the Patrick School to a 28-4 mark and a No. 1 ranking in the NJ.com Top 20. They will face #16 ranked Teaneck Sunday night at the Pine Belt Arena in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions semifinals.
The winner will play in the finals on Monday night at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton.
The Celtics have knocked off four straight ranked teams to earn the Non-Public B title. They defeated No. 6 Hudson Catholic, 65-48, to earn their first state title since 2009 in the Non-Public A final last Saturday as Harris made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points.
Gopher Hole caught up with Harris Saturday night to learn more about his Minnesota decision and his senior year.
Gopher Hole: You signed with the Gophers last fall. What was it about Minnesota that made you think that was the place for you?
Jamir Harris: Just the atmosphere. The entire family. The Minnesota family. The campus and just the people there. It felt like the atmosphere was for me, was a friendly one. Everyone was pro Minnesota. That was something that I liked when I went down there and the coaching staff is very young. They have a young team as players and having a coach that can relate to me as a player was something that was important to me as well.
Gopher Hole: When you signed with Minnesota, they were coming off an 8-23 record. Did friends wonder about your choice after a disappointing season for them?
Jamir Harris: No. Not really. My mindset going into it was it was a Big Ten school. A great situation for me to go to and I knew that they were going to have a bounce back year like they did this year. They have a lot of talent on the team. Each and every player on the team works hard. They work at their craft, so I knew that the hard work was going to pay off, based on the player’s work ethic and the coach’s work. I didn’t except us to another down year and we didn’t. We had a great year this year. I am excited to get down there and be a part of it.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to watch many of the Gopher games this season?
Jamir Harris: I watched plenty of them. The majority of them. I probably missed about two or three, but other than that, I watched them all.
Gopher Hole: What were your impressions of the team?
Jamir Harris: The team was great, especially with me going down there and having the opportunity to meet the players and watching them on TV kind of gives me goose bumps knowing that I am going to have opportunity to play with those guys. The team was great. They had spurts when things weren’t going too well, but one thing that I did notice about them through turmoil and stuff, they played off each other very well, so that was something that stuck out to me.
Gopher Hole: What do you think that you will add to the team next year?
Jamir Harris: Definitely my ability to shoot the ball. Both off the catch and off the bounce. I can also handle the ball as well. Whatever my role is with the team, whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it and last, but not least, I think I can come in here and make an immediate impact.
Gopher Hole: Have you been in contact with many of your future teammates this season?
Jamir Harris: Yes. I actually just talked to Eric Curry not too long ago and we caught up and talked about the season and things of the nature. Also, Dupree (McBrayer), he was a senior when I was a freshman (at the Patrick School). I talk to him also, just talking about the season and keep working hard and we are excited to play with one another.
Gopher Hole: Who are you closest to?
Jamir Harris: As far as on the team right now, Dupree, based on the fact that me and him played together in high school, so we developed that relationship before he left.
Gopher Hole: What has he told you about Minnesota?
Jamir Harris: Just that this is a basketball family type of community, where everyone is pro-Minnesota. I could see that when I went up on my visits. The atmosphere is great. They know all the players and they show that they are all for Minnesota. Minnesota is the only one Division I school in the state, so that is just something that is the center of Minnesota and Minnesota basketball. Dupree has told me that and it is a good place to be at.
Gopher Hole: You signed with Minnesota in the fall along with another guard Isaiah Washington. What do you know about him?
Jamir Harris: I know him and we have played against each other since we were younger. I have known him for a long time. He is a great player. Great point guard. His IQ for the game is very, very high and he knows how to get his teammates involved. He is a great all-around player, so I am very excited to play with him. I think that we are going to be a good backcourt.
Gopher Hole: How was your senior season? Max Preps has you ranked as the eighth in the country. How pleased are you with how things have gone so far?
Jamir Harris: I am very pleased. We had a pretty decent season this year. We had some ups and downs early, but as of late, we have been playing our best basketball at the perfect time. We have our game tomorrow, semifinal game and after we win that game, we have the championship game on Monday and get the first TOC in Patrick School history. Overall, it has been a great season for us, especially having a senior-ladened team. Our last hurrah.
Gopher Hole: Your coach told me earlier this week that because of the weather the schedule was pushed back and you are playing the semifinals on Sunday. I know that New Jersey team will play on Sundays in events like the old Prime Time Shootout, something that Minnesota teams never do. Is that kind of a weird thing to play on a Sunday for you guys or is just another game?
Jamir Harris: Not really. It doesn’t really matter which day it is. We are just so excited to play in the game. Having that feeling that this could possibly be our last game. We’ve only got two left, so we are trying to go into this game and put it all out there.
Gopher Hole: What do you know about Teaneck?
Jamir Harris: I know a few of their players who play on my AAU program, Leondre Washington and Ja’Quaye James, so me and (teammate) Marcus McClary, who also played on the Playaz, we are very familiar with those guys. We know that they can run a lot of things with them team-wise, so it should be a very interesting matchup.
Gopher Hole: To be honest, your team is loaded with talent. You have a Kentucky signee (Nicholas Richards, who is playing in the Nike All-American Game), two Tulane signee, a Monmouth signee and yourself. Do you think that will help you a little bit in college because you are not always having to be the main man and obviously, in college, you are going to have a lot of talent around you? Do you think that helps you playing around a lot of great talent on your high school team?
Jamir Harris: Oh, definitely. We have a lot of talent on our team and we are very, very deep. Having that amount of talent is a definitely an asset. On any given night, it can be anyone’s night. We have so many ways of attacking as a team, a lot of teams can’t match up, because of the talent that we have. Playing with great players is a very great thing. It gives you a great chance to win, which is what I ultimately want to do.
Gopher Hole: I know that your numbers are quite as big, because of the talent that you have on your team, but I know that you went over 1,000 points earlier this year. How pleased are you with your own individual play this season?
Jamir Harris: I am very pleased. I felt like I made strides on the floor, especially in the leadership ways. I came into the season trying to be more vocal and more of a leader and I felt that I accomplished that. My senior season has been a productive one.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to play in any postseason All-Star games?
Jamir Harris: I am playing in the Jordan Brand Regional game (held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn April 14th) and as of now, that is the only one that I know about.
Gopher Hole: What will that experience be like?
Jamir Harris: That will be extremely, extremely exciting. To go there and play in that game is an honor. A great opportunity that I am excited for.
Gopher Hole: Once your season ends, what things are you going to be working on to get ready for your freshman year at Minnesota?
Jamir Harris: Just getting stronger, faster and more athletic. Toning all my skills, My ballhandling. Shooting, of course and working out. Preparing to get down there. I want to come down there ready to make an impact right away, so I am going to work right after the season is over.
Gopher Hole: Are you watching much of the NCAA Tournament?
Jamir Harris: Definitely. I am watching it right now.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to have the chance to play in the tournament next year?
Jamir Harris: That would be great. I am at a loss for words for that. Playing in the NCAA tournament would be a huge accomplishment.
Gopher Hole: Is there a college player or anyone who you compared yourself to or watch and try to copy some of their moves?
Jamir Harris: Maybe nobody in college, but as far as the NBA, I try to watch a lot of Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving (who played at St. Patrick’s) as well. I try to combine their games and follow them in certain ways.