Basketball recruiting never stops. Maryland's not even close to done with their 2011 class, what with Nick Faust, Desmond Hubert, Antwan Space, and especially Adjehi Baru (who's, uh, visiting this weekend) all floating around out there. They don't have a commitment for 2012, for which the top prospects include Justin Anderson and...well, we're not really sure yet. And 2013? Pshh. Come back in like two years.
Or not. According to Scout's Evan Daniels, by way of @NorthstarBasketball, 2013 guards and identical twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison will be visiting Maryland this week.
According to @EvanDanielscout's list, Maryland has lured the Harrison twins to campus this weekend. Impressive.
Northstar Basketball
NorthstarBball
So, why is it good news? Oh, no real reason, really. It just so happens that both are consensus top 10 players. And, depending on who you ask, one of them might be the best player in the country. And, oh yeah, they're a package deal.
The brothers both stand at 6-4 and weigh in at 205 pounds, and they're from Houston, TX. Andrew is the point guard; Aaron is more of a shooting guard. Which one is better? Well, that depends on who you ask; Rivals has Andrew, the point guard, as the best player in the country, with Aaron slacking in at #10. ESPN, on the other hand, puts Andrew all the way down at #9 in the country (though, to his credit, he is the #1 PG), while Aaron is #7. SLAM has Andrew at #5 and Aaron at #10.
(For the record, one of the very few players ranked ahead of the Harrisons is Chris Thomas, a point guard from Princeton Day Academy in Bowie. Maryland's recruiting him, too.)
Of course, it's early. You never really know what will happen with their progression. But when you read scouting reports, particularly ESPN's, it's not the traditional "they're only here because they have great athleticism and potential"; their court awareness and basketball IQ are lauded several times.
They'll be heavily pursued by almost every big-hitter in the nation, not only because each is great in his own right, but because they're a package deal, or at least intend to be right now. Both are national recruits. They were at Kansas a matter of days ago, and have visited a handful of other schools so far. But when was the last time a top 10 recruit visited Maryland, let alone two of them? And I'm pretty sure the last #1 recruit on campus for Maryland was Moses Malone.
Wondering why they're visiting? I kind of am, too, though this article from The Shiver might shed a little light:
Up next for the twins and clear is a trip to Harrison Sr.'s old stopping grounds of Baltimore, MD. While there the trip will check out Maryland and Georgetown. After that, according the Harrison Sr., all three will go back to being 15 and 16 years old and just enjoy their upcoming seasons.
Bino? Who knows? It'd certainly be nice if Mr. Harrison had an old friend back in Charm City named Ranson. He mentions that he was impressed by the fact that Kansas fans knew who the Harrisons were, so if you see someone that looks remotely like these guys (I only have one photo up there, I know, because I'm in a hurry, but they're identical twins), ask for an autograph. And if it's not them, well, then you just made a very embarrassing sacrifice for the good of the team.
Anyway, good news. Combined with Thomas, the class of 2013 has very big potential. Lock up Anderson and someone else for 2012 and get on 2013 stat.