This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Just got off the phone with David Gaines, basketball coach at Christ School in Arden, N.C. Gaines confirmed that one of his star players, 6-foot-4 Damarcus Harrison of Greenwood, S.C., has committed to play college basketball for BYU. Harrison will sign with the Cougars when the early signing period for basketball begins in November. Gaines said Harrison called him last night and told him he was ready to commit to BYU. The coach told him to sleep on it, and they would call the other coaches (Clemson, Florida State) in the morning and let them know he wasn't coming their way. "I knew he was close to deciding, and I knew it was down to BYU and Clemson," Gaines said. "Florida State was a distant third." Gaines said Harrison and his family are Mormon, "but that's not the major reason, or the lone reason," he chose BYU. The coach said Harrison's visit to Provo last month "had a real big impact on him. He loved the campus and the surroundings, and he especially bonded with the players and the coaching staff. He said he felt comfortable in the community, which was a big deal to him."Gaines said Harrison averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds a game last year on a team that featured six other Division I prospects and averaged 82 points per game. The coach said none of his players ever average more than 15 ppg. because the team is so talented that no single player gets a huge amount of playing time. "D-Mar is one heck of a basketball player," he said. "His talents are in lock-step with how BYU plays. Their style fits him to a T."