| Elias Harris |
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 | | Recent Tweets |
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| All Tweets | Moving onto WCC championship- Gonzaga vs St Mary. Good chance to get another look at Omar Samhan, Matt Bouldin, Elias Harris, Robert Sacre
2010-03-08 21:54:18 | If he insists he is, then who am I to argue? RT @slipperstillfit Do you think Gonzaga's Elias Harris is bound to return for sophomore year?
2010-02-28 13:09:11 | Some similarities there, yes. Both tough, athletic, strong defenders, rebounders RT @ballinisahabit: Elias Harris=Josh Howard in the league?
2010-02-12 00:45:00 | Elias Harris struggling with length of Wesley Witherspoon, missed some decent looks. Still fighting, contributing to team's ball-movement
2010-02-07 19:27:10 | Great article by Jim Meehan (Spokesman-Review) on Elias Harris http://bit.ly/9x2Kpj . Harris on NBA: "I don’t think it’s the right time yet"
2010-01-28 12:10:04 | | Top 25s - Full List |
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| Team: Gonzaga, Freshman |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 7"
W: 220 lbs
Bday: 07/06/1989
(20 Years Old)
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Current: SF/PF
NBA: SF/PF
Possible: SF/PF
| Round: 1 Pick: 13 in 2011 Mock Draft
Rank 16 in Top 100 Prospects
Rank 5 in NCAA Freshmen
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High School:
Hometown: Speyer, Germany
Best Case: Super Athletic Version Of Matt Barnes
Worst Case: DeMarre Carroll
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| NCAA Weekly Performers, 12/3/09
December 3, 2009
Joseph Treutlein
Very few freshman in the country have had as significant an impact for their teams as Elias Harris has for Gonzaga thus far this season, which isn’t surprising given the 20-year-old freshman’s profile. With high-level international experience under his belt, the 6’7 combo forward with a very well-built body has come in and started all 6 of his team’s games, playing 29 minutes on average, pretty much exclusively at the power forward position.
From a physical standpoint, Harris certainly looks the part of an NBA small forward or combo forward, having great size and good length with a very strong frame, and possessing very good athleticism to go along with it. He’s an explosive player with very good quickness, exceptional coordination and very strong mobility, while also having very good upper body strength. Harris has spent pretty much all of his time playing as a big man for the Bulldogs, but with each passing game, he shows a little more of his perimeter game.
Harris spent the first two games of the season doing a lot of work with his back to the basket, showing a decent arsenal of hook shots and runners going across the lane, doing a good job of drawing contact and getting to the line, but struggling with his touch at times shooting over bigger opponents in the paint. His post game is certainly effective against college 4’s, but it’s hard to envision Harris having consistent success as a back-to-the-basket power forward in the NBA, as doesn’t have the size or brute power to really make much of a living doing that.
Harris provides more intrigue with his face-up game, something that was on display in all three games in Maui, where he showed dribble drive moves from all areas of the court, showing off his impressive coordination and footwork. Harris incorporates a lot of advanced moves into his forays to the rim, namely spin moves and hop steps, which he might rely on a bit too heavily at this point. Harris’ left hand appears pretty weak, and pretty much every time he goes left, he only does so to set up a very effective left-to-right spin move, something opposing teams will pick up on over time if he doesn’t make them respect his left hand. Harris’ athletic abilities are on full display when he’s attacking the basket off the dribble, making very rangy plays with the ball and finishing well in the lane with various finesse and power moves.
Harris’ jump shot is still a work in progress, though he has the foundation of good shooting form in place, and he’s had flashes of success in his few games thus far. One thing that stands out with Harris’ shot is how few jumpers he takes in rhythm, as he rarely readies himself for the catch-and-shoot when the ball is coming to him. He often hesitates with the ball for a good second or so before putting the ball up, and he often looks a bit mechanical in his motions. Other than that, he shows occasional problems with not getting full extension on all his releases. That said, he does have a high release point and the rest of his motion is pretty consistent, so this is an area he should improve on if he puts in the work, and will surely be a very important factor in whether or not he’s able to make the conversion to playing on the wing full time.
Another strong point of Harris’ game is his high motor and basketball IQ, as he makes a lot of hustles plays in the game and usually doesn’t settle for many low-percentage shots. Harris makes a big impact attacking the glass on both ends of the court and diving for loose balls. He’s a competitive guy with great toughness who doesn’t back down from anyone, something that has given Gonzaga (a team typically deemed to be a bit on the soft side) a huge boost this season.
Defensively, Harris has great physical tools with his size, length, and good lateral quickness, while also having a pretty good fundamental base in place for perimeter defense, where he shows a good stance and moves his feet well. He doesn’t get to match up against opposing threes at this level, but he appears as if he has the tools to defend that position. He’s done so in the past, notably this past summer in the European championships playing for the German National Team, where he garnered invaluable experience. In the post, he also shows good fundamentals, and holds his position pretty well with his base strength, but his lack of size poses concerns if you’re projecting him to play the power forward in the NBA, and it’s caused some troubles here already.
Projecting Harris to the next level is not a seamless task at this point, as he’s still getting his feet underneath him in the college game, and some uncertainty about what direction he’ll take his game in. His hustle play and strong foundation of skills definitely bode well for his future, but there are still a lot of question marks about what position he’s best suited to play, and whether or not he’ll be given the opportunity to develop his perimeter game on a team that currently asks him to play the power forward position full time. Either way, Harris’ future looks extremely bright, and in the worst case scenario, he could always take his German passport and cash in on a very lucrative contract in Europe down the road.
 [Read Full Article]
2009 U-20 European Championship Review: Wings
September 30, 2009
Strongly built with a developed upper body, Harris is quite an explosive athlete considering his frame, Elias Harris was the second most important player for the German Mannschaft, after Benzing. Even with his good effort and intensity, he’ll suffer defending on the perimeter at times trying and stay in front of his match-up without fouling. Harris isn’t a very good passer and he would need to work on his ball-handling skills too.
As far as his shooting is concerned, his stroke itself looks decent, but he needs plenty of improvement in this aspect, as his terrible 41% free throw percentage would indicate. He does seem to be aware of his limitations regarding as a 3-point shooter, though, and thus hesitates to attempt perimeter jumpers. Slashing to the basket however he’s very hard to stop, being able to go right or left. He doesn’t have the greatest touch right now, but his strength, explosiveness and good balance compensate to be a reliable inside finisher nonetheless, helping him rank first in overall field goal percentage at 60%. Even being undersized, he can do quite a bit of damage in the low post too, using his body well and even showing off some spin moves.
As a rebounder he’s not a fierce pursuer of offensive boards, but is very strong going after defensive rebounds. And if he would do a better job boxing out, it can only get better. He contributes in other aspects such as stealing and shotblocking too, collecting one of each per game here on the Greek Island. On the other hand the 3.2 turnovers were the clear negative part of his performance. In 25 minutes this is really too high.
Generally still a quite raw player with an interesting progress margin, Harris will be interesting to keep track of at Gonzaga.
[Read Full Article]
U-18 European Championship: The Wings
August 31, 2007
Elias Harris showed up for this championship considerably stronger than we had seen him last year, still athletic and explosive, pretty reactive also, but probably less fluid in his moves. He played full time as an inside player, although he also showed his increased shooting range, netting some three-pointers with apparent easiness. Still he shows very little stuff off the dribble and not a particularly great feel for the game. At around 6-7, he’s undersized to play inside at a top level. We were certainly expecting a more skilled player at this point.
[Read Full Article]
U-18 European Championship Prospects: The Wings
September 13, 2006
Elias Harris is especially worthy of taking a look. He’s a 6-7 German wing still in his first junior year. It’s hard not to notice his excellent physical profile, showing a very good frame and terrific athleticism. He enjoys remarkable legs that he successfully uses on defense and rebounding.
He’s not a very skilled guy, but he already shows a reliable jumper from the mid-area, although his range is clearly limited. A decent ball-handler, he still needs to improve in order to beat his matchups consistently. All in all, he seems to understand the game and shows very nice potential.
[Read Full Article]
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