Former Lee’s Summit West standout Shaquille Harrison gets shot with Suns
Shaquille Harrison has climbed another rung up his basketball career ladder.
Harrison, a former Lee’s Summit West standout, signed a 10-day contract Feb. 21 with the Phoenix Suns after being called up from the NBA team’s G League squad.
Harrison, a 6-foot-4 guard, will take the roster spot opened when guard Josh Gray was waived. He had spent two seasons on the Northern Arizona Suns after a four-year college career at Tulsa.
West basketball coach Michael Schieber has watched Harrison’s progression from his first days on the high school team. He received a text from Harrison letting him know about his call-up earlier in the week.
Schieber said the news came as no surprise to him.
“I don’t know of a kid who has worked harder for everything that he’s gotten from the time that he was a 5-7, 110-pound freshmen to the point that he is now,” Schieber said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Harrison grew from his freshman year to become a major force his senior year for the Titans. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.2 steals as a senior in 2012 and led the Titans to a 27-4 record and to the 2012 Class 5 Final Four.
Along the way, Harrison earned a host of all-conference and all-state accolades and was a finalist for the DiRenna Award, which is given annually to the top Kansas City area high school player.
In college, Harrison became the first player in Golden Hurricanes basketball history to start every game during a four-year career. He averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 133 career games, finishing second in program history with 461 career assists and third with 244 steals.
After going undrafted in 2016, Harrison signed with the Northern Arizona Suns, the Phoenix Suns’ developmental team based in Prescott Valley, Ariz. He has averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 84 games during two G League seasons. He became the Northern Arizona Suns’ starting point guard Feb. 2 and averaged 14 points and 9.2 assists in five games before his call-up.
Harrison also spent time in the Phoenix Suns’ training camp, so he’s no stranger to the NBA team. The 10-day deal essentially is a tryout, but he could be signed to another deal if the team decides to keep him on the roster.
Schieber said he has no doubts about Harrison making the most of his opportunity.
“I know he’s going to make the most of it with whatever he gets,” Schieber said. “He’s a special, special young man who means a lot to our program and means a lot to me.”
Harrison isn’t the only professional athlete in the family. His younger brother, Monte, who graduated in 2014, was a three-sport standout at West. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Major League Baseball draft. Monte Harrison was traded in January to the Miami Marlins.
This story was originally published February 22, 2018 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Former Lee’s Summit West standout Shaquille Harrison gets shot with Suns."