With preparations for next season in full swing, the Seton Hall men’s basketball team landed its first two recruits in brothers Jamir and Jaquan Harris on Tuesday.
Jamir is a 6-foot-1 graduate transfer from American University who joins the Hall after serving as the Eagles’ starting point guard for the past two years. He will be eligible to play for Seton Hall immediately in the fall and has up to two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out his sophomore season due to NCAA Transfer rules and the extra year of eligibility granted to players because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaquan, a 6-foot-4 point guard, is a three-star recruit at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and the first member of the Pirates’ Class of 2022 recruitment class. He had also considered Virginia Tech, Xavier and Auburn as potential destinations for his college career, per Adam Zagoria.
This will be Jamir’s third stop in his college career after spending his freshman year at the University of Minnesota prior to his time at American.
In an interview with The Front Office on YouTube, Jamir, a New Brunswick, N.J. native, said the prospect of returning home ultimately sold him on choosing Seton Hall over other schools that showed interest.
“I’ve been away from home for my entire college career,” Jamir said. “Now I have an opportunity to come to the Big East conference, back to a major conference, and to do so at home was an opportunity I couldn’t give up. We’re building a legacy, me and my brother, for the Harris name and for Seton Hall. It was special feeling having the opportunity to play here.”
Should Jamir remain at Seton Hall for both of his final years of eligibility, he will have the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother for a year. Jaquan said his decision to remain in New Jersey for his college career was rooted in his time working the concession stands at Rutgers games along with his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teammates.
Jaquan’s averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 33 games for St. Thomas Aquinas so far, helping lead the team to a 28-5 record in that time. This season, he’s averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
“I got heart, I love to win and I just leave it all on the court every game. I play for my teammates,” Jaquan said.
While Seton Hall fans will have to wait another year before Jaquan can suit up for the Pirates, Jamir said he knows he’s going to have a big role with the team next year.
“Coach Willard told me himself that there’s no one on the team like me, that does what I do and brings what I bring to the table,” Jamir said. “He told me he envisions me as a point guard with a major role and major impact on winning games. It’s going to allow me to play my game because my style of play fits their system.”
As far as Seton Hall’s current depth at point guard, only Jahari Long looks set to return for next season having played off the bench in 18 games for the Pirates in 2020-21. Shavar Reynolds started every game at point guard for Seton Hall last season and has an extra year of eligibility, but the senior has not announced whether he will be taking advantage of the extra year yet. Ryan Conway, an incoming freshman from the Class of 2021, will also be in the mix among the point guards on the Pirates’ roster for the 2021-22 season.
Seton Hall also still has two scholarship spots left on their roster, but the immediate future of the Pirates' starting five for next season is beginning to take shape with the addition of Jamir for next season.
Justin Sousa can be reached at justin.sousa@student.shu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @JustinSousa99.
