Aaron (left) and Andrew Harrison (right) combined for 49 points at an AAU game in Baltimore on Monday.
BALTIMORE – The gasp was audible throughout the Baltimore City Community College gymnasium Monday night.
Andrew Harrison had just shaken his Nike Baltimore Elite defender to drive into the lane. A second later, he lobbed a touch pass to Houston Defenders teammate Derrick Griffin, who slammed home a reverse alley-oop dunk.
It wasn’t the first time Harrison did that, and it wouldn’t be the last. Time and time again, he elicited the same shocked reaction from a capacity crowd as his Defenders notched a 79-66 win.
Meanwhile, his twin brother, Aaron, was putting on a similar show. He totaled 35 points while scoring from nearly everywhere on the floor – in the lane, deep from three and from the free throw line.
For Terrapins men’s basketball team fans, it offered a look into what the future could hold for the program if Andrew – the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2013 – and Aaron – the No. 2 shooting guard – choose to bring their talents to College Park.
And while that decision isn’t expected to come until the Harrisons’ 18th birthday on Oct. 28, Terps fans in attendance couldn’t help but envision the twins on the Comcast Center court.
“As a Maryland basketball fan, it’s been a while since we’ve been kind of a nationally relevant, top-15 program,” said Ben Goldstein, a 2012 alumnus in attendance Monday night. “If you can get two of those guys there next year with the class we already have coming in, it would be huge.”
Of course, it won’t be all that simple. The Harrisons, who have said they both plan to attend the same college, have narrowed their choices to five schools: Kentucky, Baylor, Villanova, Southern Methodist and the Terps.
Each school has its own enticement for the twins. Kentucky has become an ideal pitstop for top-ranked recruits before entering the NBA. Baylor is close to home. Jay Wright’s Villanova offense is a boon for guards. Southern Methodist is coached by the legendary Larry Brown.
And finally, there’s Mark Turgeon and the Terps.
Aaron Harrison Sr., the twins’ father and Houston Defenders coach, spoke of Turgeon with great admiration after the game, talking about how the Terps’ coach went “above and beyond the call of duty as a man” following the death of a recruit while Turgeon was at Texas A&M.
“At that point, I contacted him at A&M and said, ‘I like what you did,'” the elder Harrison recalled, “I want to send my kids some place where I can trust the man.”
And during the recruiting process, at least one of the Harrisons has adopted a similar view of the Terps’ second-year coach.
“He’s just like a good, genuine guy,” said Andrew, who scored 14 points and had seven assists against the Baltimore Elite. “He tells me the truth. He’s not trying to tell me whatever just to get me there, so he’s cool.”
It’s a feeling that could potentially help land arguably the best brother duo of all time – a reality not lost on Terps fans.
“If they come, it’ll signal the dawn of a possible new era [of Terps basketball],” said Steve Katz, a 1981 graduate and longtime Terps fan.
Turgeon’s incoming freshman class, which includes center Shaquille Cleare, a former Houston Defenders teammate of the Harrisons, is ranked No. 18 by ESPN. It’s a sea of change from the Gary Williams era when the legendary coach was much maligned for allowing top local talent to escape the area to other schools.
The potential for the Harrison twins to become Terps created a palpable excitement in the gymnasium Monday, with many fans in red and white Terps gear. Every move the Harrisons made was met with some sort of reaction, whether it was cheers of amazement or boos from Baltimore Elite fans.
“I think they looked great,” said Tommy Shekarchi, a 2011 graduate clad in a No. 5 Maryland Pride football jersey. “They’re going to do real well at the next level with their size. Hopefully, they’ll take us to the Final Four.”
While talk of the Harrisons leading the Terps to a championship may be premature, one thing is certain: It’s very much a possibility.
“Maryland’s one of my top schools,” Aaron said. “It’s great. My family’s down here. Shaquille Cleare, he played on my team last year, he’s down there. So all of the schools that I named, they all have great qualities. So when it’s time to make my decision, I’ll make my decision.”
dgallen@umdbk.com
