One of the borough’s top hoops stars is sticking close to home, thanks to a new coach and a newfound commitment to winning.
Forest Hills forward Maurice Harkless has become the first recruit of the Steve Lavin regime at St. John’s University, having committed to play for the Red Storm in 2011. Harkless had previously made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Connecticut (UConn), but later re-opened his recruiting.
He announced in June that he had chosen UConn over Kentucky, but soon decided to reexamine his options. Programs throughout the country courted him, including the likes of Oregon, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona, Florida, Rutgers and Maryland.
His decision stay close to his roots and play for the Johnnies at Madison Square Garden was heavily influenced by Lavin’s arrival into the once proud basketball program at the Queens school. Since Lavin took over, the St. John’s basketball program has been looked at more favorably; in contrast, UConn is currently dealing with the fallout from NCAA violations, which resulted in the dismissal of two assistant coaches.
Harkless, who is also an honor student, is ranked in the top 50 nationally and dominated in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) games this past July. He earned MVP honors at the Hoop Group Elite Camp in Reading, PA., led the New York Panthers to a final four finish at the Fab 48 in Las Vegas and took the same team to the Desert Duel championship in Phoenix, AZ.
His performance this summer seemed to erase a subpar performance in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) playoffs in the spring, which saw Forest Hills make a rare early exit.
The 6”6’ swingman averaged 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds last season for Forest Hills and will spend this upcoming season at South Kent School in Connecticut.
