Tobias Harris, SF

The Volunteer small forward's collegiate career was brief, lasting only one season, but that was enough to convince the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to name him to their inaugural Freshman All-American team. Harris went on to finish second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.32 points per game, along with pacing the squad with 247 rebounds.

Harris also ranked second on the team with 29 blocked shots. He generated 24 steals to go with 44 assists. His ability to draw contact on the way to the basket allowed him to make 128-of-170 free throws, as his percentage of .753 was second-best on the starting unit.

Among all freshmen in the six "major" conferences, Harris ranked fourth in scoring and sixth in rebounding (one of only three freshmen to rank in the top five in each category).

Among other honors for Harris this season included three separate Southeastern Conference Player/Freshman of the Week awards, a berth on Sports Illustrated's "Fresh-men Who Fit" Team (captain) and a slot on the NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team.

Harris was also named to the SEC All-Freshman first-team and received second-team All-SEC recognition from the league's coaches. Harris' most recent honor is particularly historic for the Tennessee basketball program, as no Vol has ever previously made a Freshman All-American Team, although Bernard King did earn regular first-team All-American status from Helms Athletic Foundation as a freshman in 1974-75.

Prior to his one-year stint at Tennessee, Harris was a standout performer at Half Hollow Hills West High School West in Dix Hills, New York, and also excelled at Long Island Lutheran High. He became Half Hollow Hills' all-time leading scorer by his sophomore year, but left the school to attend Lutheran High as a junior, where he averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading the Crusaders to the New York state Class A title.

Back to Half Hollow Hills West for his final season, Harris received a five-star prospect rating from scout.com, as that recruiting service regarded him as the best power forward in the country. The McDonald's All-American led the Colts to a 24-2 record and the New York Class AA state championship game as a senior in 2010 while averaging 24.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 blocks per game.

Harris was named New York's Mr. Basketball and also made USA Today's All-USA Team. He became the 12th Long Island prep player to score 2,000th career points. He was also named one of six finalists for the 2010 Boy's Naismith High School Player of the Year Award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

During his summer months as a prepster, Harris was a teammate of current Vols forward Jeronne Maymon in the Queens-based IS8 League in New York. He also played AAU ball with the Albany City Rockets and the Unique All Stars. He enjoyed standout performances at the LeBron James Skills Academy and the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp during the summer of 2009.

Harris was selected to play in the annual 2010 Jordan Brand All-American game at Madison Square Garden. He also accepted an invitation from the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee to attend the 2010 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team training camp, but was forced to miss the events due to a foot injury suffered in the McDonald's All-America Game. The injury also caused him to miss out on suiting up for the 2010 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.

In April, 2011, Harris and Tennessee shooting guard Scotty Hopson announced they were leaving the university and applied for the 2011 NBA Draft. Tennessee has produced 42 all-time NBA and/or ABA Draft picks, including seven first-round selections. However, a Vol has not been selected in the NBA Draft since 2002, when Marcus Haislip (13th overall pick) and Vincent Yarbrough (32nd overall pick) were selected by Milwaukee and Denver, respectively.

Active Vols on NBA rosters or in NBA front offices during the 2010-11 season were C.J. Watson (guard, Chicago Bulls), Ernie Grunfeld (president, Washington Wizards) and Allan Houston (assistant general manager, New York Knicks). Some of the more well known Vols to suit up in the NBA include, Grunfeld, Houston, Bernard King and Dale Ellis.

Positives: Good ball handler who creates mismatches vs. smaller forwards when he utilizes a quick release with his trajectory on his jumper … Has worked on improving the range on his jumper, but still has inconsistencies at the perimeter when he gets too deliberate executing his shot … Good with his outlet passes and kicking the ball out, coming up with 44 assists last year … Has better basketball IQ than expected from a player with his youth, showing a good feel for his surroundings … Delivers crisp passes and is very unselfish, doing a nice job of locating better scoring options among his teammates when playing in the half court … Needs to improve his overall strength, but has the potential to be a better performer in the paint than what he showed last season … Has the good handle that allows him to take his man off the dribble, demonstrating good forward body lean … Not yet strong enough to be an NBA power forward, but will angle and second jump to get to the board for the rebound and put-backs (averaged 7.26 boards per game) … Passes the ball well to generate the fast break after grabbing the defensive rebound … Will get bounced around some attacking the rim, but shows no flinch drawing contact and is a 75.3% shooter from the foul line … Not fooled by pump fakes and hesitation moves and is good at anticipating the shooters moves working along the perimeter … Has to work on developing body muscle tone, but has the broad shoulders and frame to fill out nicely … Best when handling the ball in transition and can pull up quickly to take a mid-range attempt from isolation action … When challenged by bigger forwards, he has the body control and initial step to gain separation and create mismatches working in the high post … Equally effective utilizing either hand to score when he gets into the paint (as long as he's not bounced out) … His long reach and good balance are evident when providing help defense … Around the basket, he can step back and deliver with a fluid floater … Good leaper who always seems to be in position to create something from the low post … Plays with good intensity on both ends of the court … Patient on the court and even though he has the foot speed to get back on the fast break, he is also smart enough to know when he needs to slow down the pace of the game … Glides to the rim with ease and is very effective at hanging in the air and getting to the basket … Good at taking off-kilter shots, thanks to his above average balance … Because of his court vision and intelligence, he has had good success converting on isolation sets, as he seems to thrive when allowed to attack and take charge working inside vs. small forwards … Uses his length and footwork often to create separation in the low post or from the top of the key … Knows how to draw the slow-footed power forwards out and then slash on the opponent, drawing fouls to get to the charity stripe, where he shows good elbow bend and a quick release on his free throws … Shows good vertical skills on his jump shot, as he gets off the ground quickly and demonstrates a high release … Has a tight command of the ball when putting it on the floor and can get to the rim off the dribble … When playing with his back to the basket, he is capable of executing a solid jump hook that has the elevation and arch to get over the defender's out-stretched arms … Good ball handler who gets out the post entry passes smoothly.

Negatives: Like most young forwards in this draft class, Harris' body has yet to mature, making him a type of player a GM will have to gamble on when using a potential lottery pick - is he going to be able to add strength and bulk to play power forward? It is obvious that he lacks the quickness needed to cover wings … Is he going to be able to improve his perimeter game? Without a quick, high release (shots are flat and deliberate coming off his hand when executing treys, hitting on just 23-of-76 tries last year), playing the small forward position without a perimeter game is not advisable … Does not have that explosive recovery burst needed to stay in front of slashers when taking on two-guards and three-type forwards … Has yet to develop the NBA-needed power to develop a strong post-up attack and without long range shooting acumen, he will have to work on improving his adequate back-to-the-basket skills … Shows good touch around the rim at the college level, but does not have the explosiveness teams look for to navigate through a crowd and even when he gets to the basket, there are concerns about his lack of great elevation to his shot, especially when opponents rotate into the paint to impede his path to the basket … When that happens, even with his good ball handling skills, without great foot quickness, he is not going to be able to consistently attack the rim in the NBA … Has the frame to develop into a three-forward, if he can improve his speed, but if he is to earn quality minutes at the four-spot, he has to bulk up, drop the softness around the midsection and demonstrate better power to establish position … Until his strength base gets better, he will have problems attacking the basket, as he showed in college that he will get timid when forced out of the inside, as he is not a "fan" of drawing contact … In order to keep defenses honest, he has to work on his fade-away jumper and do a better job of converting high percentage shots when utilized in half court activity.

Compares To: BERNARD KING, Ex-New Jersey Net -- Like King, Harris does a good job of drawing contact to get to the free throw line and has the potential to be a much better scorer in the post than he showed last year (coaches kept too tight of a reign on him). He has that tireless work ethic, proudly wearing his "gym rat" tag, but he needs to lose some baby fat while also working on added muscle tone and bulk. He has good basketball IQ and is unselfish feeding the ball off to teammates, as his ability to handle the ball leads to nice mismatches vs. the slower defenders.

United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Freshman All-American team selection, adding Southeastern Conference All-Freshman first-team honors, in addition to receiving All-SEC second-team honors (overall) from the league's coaches … Ranked fifth among all freshmen in the six "major" conferences with 15.32 points per game, totaling 521 points, as he made 185-of-402 field goals (46.0%), including 23-of-76 treys (30.3%) and 128-of-170 free throws (75.3%) … Led the team with 247 rebounds (second with a 7.26 rpg), as he collected 44 assists (1.29 apg) and 24 steals (0.71 spg) … Finished second on the squad with 29 blocked shots (0.85 bpg) … His 7.26 rebounds per game ranked sixth among all major-conference freshmen … Averaged close to a double-double in SEC play with 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game … His 7.9 rebounds per game in SEC play ranked fifth in the entire conference … Was a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection (Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and Jan. 31) … His eight double-doubles tied for third-most among league players, as he led the Vols in scoring 13 times and rebounding 18 times … Scored 15 or more points 22 times.

In 34 games for Tennessee, Harris scored 521 points, the most by a Volunteers fresh-man since Bernard King poured in 661 during the 1974-75 campaign … Led the team with 247 rebounds and ranked second with 29 blocked shots … Became the first player in school history to receive Freshman All-American honors.

SUMMER BASKETBALL

Harris was a teammate of current Vols forward Jeronne Maymon in the Queens-based IS8 League in New York and also played AAU ball with the Albany City Rockets and the Unique All Stars (2008-09) … .Enjoyed standout performances at the LeBron James Skills Academy and the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp during the summer of 2009 …

Was selected to play in the annual 2010 Jordan Brand All-American game at Madison Square Garden … Also accepted an invitation from the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee to attend the 2010 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team training camp, but was forced to miss the events due to a foot injury suffered in the McDonald's All-America Game … The injury also caused him to miss out on suiting up for the 2010 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.

Graduated from Half Hollow Hills High West (Dix Hills, N.Y.) High School, playing for head coach Bill Mitaritonna … Announced that Tennessee was his school of choice during a live announcement at the ESPN Zone in Manhattan's Times Square that was televised nationally on ESPNU … Also lettered in basketball at Long Island Lutheran High … Became Half Hollow Hills' all-time leading scorer by his sophomore year, but left the school to attend Lutheran High as a junior, where he averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading the Crusaders to the New York state Class A title … Back to Half Hollow Hills West for his final season, Harris received a five-star prospect rating from Scout.com, as that recruiting service regarded him as the best power forward in the country … The McDonald's All-American led the Colts to a 24-2 record and the New York Class AA state championship game as a senior in 2010 while averaging 24.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 blocks per game … Named New York's Mr. Basketball and also made USA Today's All-USA Team … Became the 12th Long Island prep player to score 2,000th career points … Named one of six finalists for the 2010 Boy's Naismith High School Player of the Year Award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Sports Management major … Recipient of the Larry Pratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment … Son of Lisa and Torrel Harris … Torrel played collegiately at Duquesne and Murray State … Older sister, Tesia, earned third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors playing basketball at the University of Delaware in 2009-10 and is sitting out the 2010-11 season after transferring to St. John's … Cousin of Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye … Born Tobias John Harris on 7/15/92 in Islip, New York … Resides in Dix Hills, New York.