KU target Dajuan Harris continues summer surge at Peach Jam

By Matt Tait     Jul 15, 2019

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Kansas University basketball recruiting

The MOKAN Elite AAU program won the star-studded Peach Jam AAU tournament in Georgia over the weekend and a current KU target was one of the team’s stars.

[Dajuan Harris, a 3-star point guard out of Columbia’s Rock Bridge High,][1] who Rivals.com analysts have said is on the fast track to becoming a 4-star prospect when the next rankings come out, helped pace MOKAN Elite to the title.

True to his reputation, Harris did his damage with his athleticism and court vision, getting others involved whenever possible and looking to set up teammates with precision passes before trying to put the ball in the basket.

That, of course, is much easier to do when Peach Jam MVP N’Faly Dante (No. 9 in the 2020 class, per Rivals) and explosive wing Kennedy Chandler (No. 28 in the 2021 class, per Rivals) are among your options to pass to.

But, still, Harris was solid from start to finish in the biggest showcase event of the summer. He reached double figures in a couple of games, averaged well above eight assists per game for the tournament and nearly had a triple-double in one pool play victory, finishing with 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Wrote 247 Sports recruiting analysts Evan Daniels, who broke down Harris’ emergence during pool play action: “It was a sensational performance on the biggest stage in grassroots.”

Daniels also caught up with Harris during the event to get an update on his surging recruitment, which includes a recent offer from KU, which Harris announced last week on Twitter.

“What I’m going to bring to the team and to the table is I’m going to defend and I’m going to try to get everybody wide open shots, and make the right plays and be a playmaker,” Harris told Daniels while breaking down his game. “A long time ago I used to play for this coach who always wanted me to score, but I didn’t really care about scoring. I liked to get everybody else open shots.”

Harris told Daniels that his recent recruitment, which has picked back up after he was granted a release from a previous commitment to Missouri State, has included Texas and Missouri, along with Missouri State and KU.

Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi believes more suitors are coming, recently writing that Harris, currently ranked No. 136 in the 2020 class by Rivals, should expect “high-major offers to flood in during July.”

Harris does not currently have any official visits scheduled and there is no known timeline for his decision.

As for what caught Daniels’ eye, it was Harris’ command of the court from all positions that made him worth watching and writing about.

“The 6-foot-2 wiry lead guard impressed with his passing ability, vision and creativity off the dribble,” Daniels wrote. “He also excelled on the defensive end, where he made things difficult on Sharife Cooper, one of the best point guards in the country. … The pin-point passes off the live dribble and his decision making when he drove particularly stood out.”

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2019/jul/10/talented-pg-from-missouri-picks-up-offer/

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.