Loyal Huskies Sway Harris

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HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Will Harris, accompanied by his mother, nervously tugged off his warmup shirt to reveal a blue UConn practice jersey.

This was his non-verbal way of committing, but the form doesn't matter to UConn.

All that matters is that Harris will be at UConn in the fall of 2006.

The jersey, No. 3, was a tribute to Charlie Villanueva, whom Harris sought out for counsel during the weeks leading to his decision.

He said the jersey was also a tribute to the three who never deserted him.

"God, my mother and [coach] Nate Blue," Harris said. "They never left my side whether times were tough or times were good."

Harris, a 6-6, 235-pound forward from Queens, N.Y., ticked off several reasons why UConn was his choice but at the core of his decision was what he kept hearing about Jim Calhoun.

"I got the chance to speak to Charlie," Harris said. "He told me that Coach Calhoun was a great coach and that he can be tough at times, but he's only tough because he cares and that he will develop my game and help me become the player that I want to be."

Harris also spoke with former UConn guard Taliek Brown.

"We live about 30 seconds away from each other," Harris said. "When he was going through the whole process at UConn I got to watch him go through it and listen to him talk about it and ask questions.

"And I spoke to him a lot after he got out of UConn, and he told me the same things Charlie said: Calhoun can be tough but only because he cares."

Harris' commitment is the second that UConn has received since the NBA draft.

The day after the draft, Curtis Kelly, a power forward from New York, committed to the Huskies.

Both are expected to contribute immediately.

The Huskies could lose as many as seven players, either to graduation or the NBA, after next season, and that makes it a critical recruiting summer.

Harris was aware of the possible openings on the UConn roster.

"A lot of spots are going to open up," Harris said. "Any high school player is going to want to go to a school where he can get a chance to play. And to get a chance to play on such a big stage makes it a good fit."

So does the proximity to his home.

Harris originally signed a letter of intent to play at Nebraska but opted out because of concern for his mother's health.

"I wanted him to stay relatively close to home if possible rather than him always being away," Veronica Harris said.

Harris, who did not wish to divulge the nature of her health condition, said she has been feeling better but still has "ups and downs."

Harris has been something of a nomad in high school. He spent two years at Christ the King, one at Redemption and another at Maine Central Institute before enrolling at Brewster Academy (N.H.) for a postgraduate season.

"I didn't think I would move around so much," Harris said. "I thought I would graduate at Redemption, but it wasn't a good situation for me."

At MCI, where Caron Butler once wore the number 3, Harris averaged 27 points and nine rebounds as a senior.

He has been solid so far at ABCD camp and has a classic NBA-style body coupled with the quickness to play on the wing.

"I've got a good shot, I'm pretty good defensively and I'm a good teammate," Harris said. "I know this game well."