Mizzou lands commitment from four-star Raleigh point guard Blake Harris

Six weeks ago, Word of God Christian Academy four-star point guard Blake Harris of Raleigh, N.C., was set to play with Michael Porter Jr. at Washington next season.

After the Huskies fired longtime coach Lorenzo Romar, the dream of Porter and Harris playing together in college seemed to wither and die.

It was resurrected Sunday afternoon when Harris committed to Missouri during an official visit to campus in Columbia.

He announced his decision on Twitter, posting “I am officially a tiger” along with a photo of him wearing a Mizzou basketball uniform.

Harris — a 6-foot-2, 170-pound creative force on the hardwood — averaged 25.0 points, 9.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game in the 11 games reported on Word of God’s MaxPreps page.

Harris plays for the same program that produced former Kentucky and current Washington Wizards star John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

He joins a recruiting class that includes the top prospect in the 2017 class in Porter, who committed March 24 to the Tigers, and Richland (Texas) Hills point guard C.J. Roberts, who reaffirmed his commitment Monday after signing with MU in November.

Roberts is the No. 98 prospect in the nation, according to Rivals.

Mizzou has two returning point guards, juniors Terrence Phillips and Jordan Geist, on the roster under new coach Cuonzo Martin, but Roberts and Harris bolster depth at the position and are likely to provide greater scoring punch.

Harris is ranked as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports, which pegs him No. 85 overall and No. 17 at point guard in the 2017 class, and ESPN, which has him rated No. 99 overall and No. 20 among point guards.

Both Scout and Rivals, which ranks Harris as the No. 142 player in the country, gave him a three-star rating.

He had planned to visit Michigan State, Connecticut and Rutgers later in the month, but Sunday’s decision to commit to Missouri presumably changes those plans.

Before signing with Washington, Harris also had offers from North Carolina State, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest among others.

Tampa (Fla.) Catholic five-star small forward Kevin Knox II also made an official visit this weekend along with Harris.

Porter served as the chaperone for the weekend, touring Mizzou’s basketball facilities and campus.

He and Knox took the red-eye from Portland, Ore., after helping the USA Basketball Men’s Junior Select National Team to a victory Friday during the Nike Hoops Summit.

Knox and Porter also played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and will play together again April 14 in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic in Brooklyn.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Mizzou lands commitment from four-star Raleigh point guard Blake Harris."