Justin Harper, PF

Harper concluded his career by receiving the Richmond Times-Dispatch State Player of the Year, marking the second-straight year that a Spider received the award. He led the team to a 29-8 record as a senior, ranking 39th in the nation with a field goal percentage of .534, as he also paced the squad in scoring (17.87 ppg) and rebounding (6.92 rpg).

During his four seasons at Richmond, Harper registered 1,457 points, which rank 11th on the school all-time record list. It is rare for a power forward to display the range that made Harper a legitimate perimeter threat, as his 179 three-point field goals placed fifth in school annals. Also a dominating force on the defensive end, he utilized his 6' 11 3/4" wing span and 8' 10" reach to alter the opponents' shots, ranking seventh on Richmond's all-time record chart with 113 blocks.

Harper was a "late bloomer" in playing organized basketball, joining the Meadowbrook High School team as a junior. In his first season, he led the team to the Central Region title and a berth in the state quarterfinals. As a senior, the all-District choice averaged 20.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, three blocks and three assists per game, capturing the attention of the local Richmond University coaching staff.

It took only "bus fare" for Harper to travel to the university after his prep days. He came off the bench as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while seeing action in 29 contests. He began to make his mark in the Atlantic Ten Conference as a sophomore, starting 24-of-36 games. He averaged 23.1 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 33.6 from beyond the arc, connecting on 44-of-131 treys.

Harper's emergence began late in his junior season, as he reached double figures in scoring in 8-of-10 final contests. He shot .483 from the field, making 42-of-122 chances from three-point range. He finished with a 10.6-point average, as he snared 189 rebounds (5.4 rpg), had 27 steals and blocked 31 shots (0.89 bpg).

The 2010-11 season established Harper's draft stock, as he led the team with a 17.87-point scoring average while also pacing the Spiders with 256 rebounds (6.92 rpg). He shot .534 from the field, as his 245 successful field goals rank seventh on the school season-record list. He tied for sixth on the annual record chart by making 77-of-172 treys, hitting at a .448 clip. His 46 blocks are the tenth-best season total at Richmond and just four players ever scored more than Harper's 661 points in a campaign.

Positives: Might be better served as a combo forward, thanks to his lanky frame and a lack of aggression in his game, but he is an elite perimeter shooter whose accuracy from beyond the arc forces the defender to come out of the paint to guard him … Has that long wing span (6' 11.75") and high release to get his shot up and over even four- and five-type front court opponents … Sets his feet, gets good elevation and has a quick release, along with the fade-away ability to have a polished face-the-basket scoring approach … Has the speed to slash and get to the rim when challenged by bigger forwards from the perimeter and when he gets open space, he has the jab steps, hesitations and pump/head fakes, along with a good handle to glide to the rim when he finds the clear lane … Has large hands and quick decision-making process to get lots of his scoring from pick-&-pop situations … Uses a quick spin move and fall-back ability to get off his jumper and showed as a senior he has developed a nice jump hook going to his right … Very efficient free throw shooter (made 79.7% of his chances last year) who has also developed a decent mid-range shot … Can also sink the three-pointers and is a solid passer to feed the ball to the guards driving into the lanes … When he doesn't force his shots, he shows good consistency firing behind the arc … Lacks blazing speed, but is quick enough to stay in the flow of the game … Works well with his guards on pick-&-roll plays to get the tough points in a crowd (will get passive when a defender gets physical with him, though) … Has the soft hands and passing ability to move the ball around … Has the length and wingspan to alter the opponent's shots (113 blocks, seventh all-time at Richmond, but most came vs. two- and three-type opponents) … When he gets his rhythm down, he is effective moving the ball and finding creases in the defense … Takes what the defense gives them, but keeps his opponents honest, as they are forced to defend vs. his perimeter stroke … Not aggressive with his back to the basket and has to do a better job of drawing fouls, but he has a smooth stroke from the free throw line … Has the vision to quickly fire the ball to the open cutters, but has to use his body better to set up screens … Takes good angles to set himself up when cutting in the lanes … Shows a good charge running the baseline and when he can't beat the contact, he has shown improvement in pulling up on the dribble and sinking the jumper.

Negatives: While Harper has the length you look for in a four-forward type, he needs to add overall strength, especially in his lower body, as he fails to establish position in the paint, but the problem is, his frame might be at maximum growth potential and additional bulk can impact his already adequate foot speed … Plays passively when challenged by a more physical opponent and this has led to him being just an adequate rebounder (4.752 rpg), as he spends more time trying to slip around an opponent rather than crash the boards with determination and aggression (seems to prefer the offensive glass, giving him better scoring opportunities, rather that attack the defensive end) … Has a sweet long distance shot, but when he has to defend vs. perimeter shooters, his lack of great lateral quickness causes him to struggle vs. quicker forwards … Lack of strength will see him observe rather than attempt to contest the shot (has 113 blocks, but most came vs. smaller opponents, strange, considering his wing span is just under seven feet) … The lack of lateral agility and overall quickness will prevent him from possibly playing small forward at the next level … Has a pretty effective face-up game, but his back-to-the-basket skills are lacking, as he is not good at establishing a low post stance and keeping the ball up and away from a defender … Good perimeter shooter, but is too enamored shooting long distance and using his jumper rather than attacking the rim and drawing contact (until his senior year, he averaged just 1.69 free throw chances per game and his final career average is 2.09 attempts per game from the charity stripe), as he is reluctant to deliver as an inside scorer and likes it when he gets no contact falling away from the basket instead.

Compares To: TONY BATTIE, Philadelphia -- Harper has better deep range than Battie, but both are the type that are complimentary players whose success comes from doing the little things - rolling out to the perimeter to shoot, pulling up and firing the jumper when they can't get penetration and playing a finesse-type face-the-basket game. He lacks a strong inside game and his frame might not be able to carry more bulk, making him a better option to earn a few minutes at both forward spots as a reserve, rather than consider him a true power forward.

Named to the Lute Olson All-American team … First-team All-Atlantic Ten Conference choice and named to the league's All-Tournament team while helping lead the Spiders to the A-10 championship … Named the 2011 Virginia State Player of the Year and received first-team All-State honors from the Richmond Times-Dispatch … Added NABC first-team All-Region recognition and was listed on NBCsports,com's list of the twelve Most Under-rated Players in College Basketball … Started all 37 games, leading the team in scoring (17.865 ppg; 661 total, fifth-best in school history) and rebounding (6.919 rpg; 256 total), as he led the conference in scoring in conference games (20.3 ppg) and averaged 7.3 boards per game in league play … Made 77-of-172 treys (44.8%), tied for sixth on the school annual record chart, as he connected on 245-of-459 field goals (53.4%), seventh-best on the Spiders season-record list … Blocked 46 shots (1.243 bpg), the tenth-best season total by a Richmond player … Added 23 steals (0.622 spg) and 43 assists (1.162 apg).

Harper started all 35 games, coming on strong in the second half, as he reached double-figures in scoring in eight of his last ten games … Recorded 371 points (10.6 ppg), as he shot 48.3% from the field (140-of-290), including 42-of-122 treys (34.4%), along with a 68.1% clip from the foul line (49-of-72) … Grabbed 189 rebounds (5.4 rpg) and blocked 31 shots (0.886 bpg) … Credited with 27 steals (0.771 spg) and 35 assists (1.0 apg).

Played in 36 games, starting 24 contests, as Harper averaged 10.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds in the 16 conference games which ranked third and first, respectively, on the team … For all contests, he collected 330 points (9.167 ppg) and 167 rebounds (4.639 rpg),

Along with 30 blocks (0.833 bpg), 20 steals (0.556 spg) and 20 assists (0.556 apg).

Harper played in 29 games, averaging 8.6 minutes per game … Made 36-of-80 field goals (.450) and 16-of-43 three-pointers (.412), as he collected 95 points (3.28 ppg) … Had 39 rebounds (1.345 rpg), six blocks, six steals and four assists as a reserve forward.

Harper appeared in 137 games for Richmond, ranking 11th in school history with 1,457 points (10.635 ppg) … his 661 points as a senior rank fifth on the Spiders' season-record chart behind Bob McCurdy (855 in 1974-75), Johnny Newman (701 in 1983-84; 680 in 1984-85) and Aron Stewart (663 in 1973-74) … Connected on 537-of-1,111 field goals (48.3%), as his 245 successful field goals in 2010-11 placed seventh on the school annual record book … Shot 38.2% from three-point range, as his 179 treys (468 attempts) rank fifth in school annals, topped by Jonathan Baker (241; 1995-99), David Gonzalvez (237; 2006-10), Reggie Brown (235; 1999-2004) and Mike Skrocki (220; 2000-04) … Connected on 204-of-287 free throws (71.1%) … Collected 651 rebounds (4.752 rpg) and registered 76 steals (0.55 spg), as he also recorded 102 assists (0.745 apg) … Ranks seventh in school history with 113 blocked shots (0.825 bpg), as his 46 rejections as a senior placed tenth on the school season-record list … Finished his career with 43 double-figures scoring games in his last 47 contests, and scored 20 points or more in 13 of his last 25 games.

Attended Meadowbrook (Richmond, Va.) High School, lettering twice in basketball for head coach John B. Gordon III … Averaged 20.4 points per game, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three assists per game as a senior, as he received first-team All-District, second-team All-Metro and Academic All-Central Region honors … As a junior, he helped lead the team to the Central Region Championship and a berth in the state quarterfinals, scoring a season-high 22 points with four three-pointers in the Central Region quarterfinal victory.

Marketing major … Son of Linda and Ollie Harper … Father played basketball for Niagara University from 1974-78 and was inducted into the Niagara Athletics Hall of Fame in October, 2007 … Born 8/30/89 … Resides in Richmond, Virginia.