NEWARK, N.J.

The Bobcats sent the 6-foot-8 Harris to the Bucks as part of Thursday’s deal. The Bucks also received Charlotte forward Stephen Jackson, Bobcats guard Shaun Livingston and guard Beno Udrih from Sacramento.

Harris, a Dix Hills, N.Y. native who spent one season at Tennessee, averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a freshman with the Volunteers. 

Tobias was not immediately available until the trade was formally announced, but his father said they were pleased with the trade.

“[Bucks assistant] Kelvin Sampson was the first coach to offer Tobias a scholarship in the 8th grade and now he will be coaching Tobias,” he said. “Tobias feels great. It’s a young team and Tobias will be a great fit.”

JENKINS TO GOLDEN STATE

Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 44th pick in the second round.

Jenkins becomes the first Hofstra player chosen since Speedy Claxton was a first-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers (20th overall) back in 2000. Claxton also played part of his NBA career with the Warriors .

The last Pride player to reach the NBA was Norman Richardson (’01), who was a free agent selection of the Indiana Pacers in 2001 and played parts of one season for the Pacers and Chicago Bulls.

Jenkins will be looking to continue his basketball career after graduating as Hofstra’s all-time leading scorer with 2,513 points this winter, ranking him second in Colonial Athletic Association history behind only David Robinson of Navy. He averaged 22.6 points per game this season on 51.7 percent shooting from the floor, while guiding Hofstra to a 21-12 final record and a 14-4 mark in the CAA, good for second place, its highest finish since joining the league in 2001-02.

Jenkins also became only the third player to win the Haggerty Award as the top player in the New York metropolitan area for three seasons in a row, joining Chris Mullin of St. John’s (1983-85) and Jim McMillian of Columbia (1968-70).

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

The 6-foot-8, 226-pound freshman forward from Tennessee will remain in the NBA Draft and forgo his final three years of college eligibility.

“Want to thank all that supported me during my time at UT. Its truly been a blessing, the Lord has guided me in the greatest of ways,” Harris posted on Twitter Friday afternoon.

Harris, a Dix Hills, N.Y., native, is projected as the No. 16 pick in the June 23 draft by DraftExpress.com.

He has been preparing for the NBA by working out with former NBA greats George Gervin, a family friend, and John Lucas and speed, agility, strength and conditioning coach Britton Kelly.

He has also worked out for several NBA teams, said his father, Torrel, and those teams came away “very impressed with his shooting ability and how physically fit his body looks.”

“The NBA teams are very impressed with Tobias’ versatility, [his ability to play] multiple positions as a player, his work ethic, his character, his unselfishness as a player, his winning desire, his attitude, his willingness to make other players better and his willingness to get better,” Torrel said. “He’s coachable and he’s a fast learner at a very young age. His potential is unlimited.”

Torrel said the family will interview five agents within the next week or so and choose one to represent Tobias.

Harris averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in his only year at Tennessee. He was a USBWA Freshman All-America second-team selection and was named to the All-SEC second-team as well as the SEC All-Freshman team.

“He’s played terrifically,” former UT coach Bruce Pearl said during the season. “He has played great down the stretch. He’s a professional at a very, very young age because of his discipline, his toughness, his mental focus, his preparation.”

A former McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American, Harris graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School West.

In his senior season, he led the Colts to a 24-2 record and an appearance in the 2010 New York State Class AA championship game while averaging 24.7 points and 14.4 rebounds.

Harris became the school’s all-time leading scorer after his sophomore year and became the 12th Long Island prep player to score 2,000 career points. Harris, along with younger brother Tyler, a 6-9 forward who recently signed with North Carolina State, also captured the New York State Championship while at Long Island Lutheran in 2009.

“First of all, Tobias is a wonderful young man,” Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said in a statement. “He had a great freshman season, but more importantly he also conducts himself in all the right ways off the court. There’s no doubt he’ll be successful.

“He’ll always be a Tennessee Volunteer, and just like every other former player, we’re always here for him. He’s part of the family.”

RELATED CONTENT

**Gibbs, underclassmen must make quick decisions

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

Tennessee fired head coach Bruce Pearl on Monday, five days after N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe resigned.

Tobias Harris just completed his freshman season at Tennessee and Tyler Harris has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at N.C. State next season.

“Two coaches get fired, you don’t want that to happen but what can you do,” Torrel, who lives with his family in Dix Hills, N.Y., said Monday by phone. “I always have a belief if you’re a person that walks with God, you’re at where God wants you to be. For Tyler and Tobias, God has them where he wants them to be. We’re all in this world for a purpose. My kids are God-fearing so we approach it as it comes.”

Torrel said Tobias, who averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds this season, would definitely test the NBA waters.

“Yeah, he’s gonna test the waters,” Torrel said. “He’s one of the best in the country. Why wouldn’t he?”

The deadline to enter the NBA Draft is April 24. Players have just 14 days to test the draft process, meaning he would have until May 7 to withdraw his name.

“He’s played terrifically. He has played great down the stretch,” Pearl told The Associated Press before he was fired. “He’s a professional at a very, very young age because of his discipline, his toughness, his mental focus, his preparation.”

Harris himself said it wasn’t on his mind before the season ended.

“It’s not really on my mind because I’m here to win games, and that’s what I’m focused on,” Harris told The AP. “When people bring it up, I kind of just shy away from it and tell them I’m just focusing on the season, which I am. After this season’s over, that’s definitely something that’s going to be worth thinking about.”

After Tennessee lost to Michigan, 75-45, in an NCAA Tournament West Regional second-round game, Harris accused his teammates of “quitting.”

“Well, we just didn’t play with any heart out there,’’ he said. “I mean, Michigan came out and made shots, and we just did a terrible job of trying to cover them. And on the offensive end we rushed too many shots and basically just quit.’’

Pearl was fired Monday after posting a record of 145-61 in six seasons.

He ran afoul of the NCAA when he first lied to, and later admitted to, the NCAA that he provided false and misleading information regarding a BBQ in which he hosted two junior recruits at his home in the summer of 2008 in violation of NCAA rules.

“Bruce is a good person,” Torrel said Monday.

As for Tyler, a 6-8 senior who averaged 17 points and five rebounds at St. Benedict’s Prep, Torrel said his son would maintain his commitment to N.C. State.

“We’re staying put to see who the coach is,” Torrel said. “We met with [athletic director] Debbie Yow. I believe in the vision that Debbie Yow wants to bring to N.C. State back to the Top 10.

“She’s going to bring in someone who’s a winner who’s going to bring N.C. State to the Top 10 and Tyler is a part of that. She broke it all down and I’m definitely going to be rolling with her. She’s gonna get it done.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

The 6-foot-8 Dix Hills, N.Y. native initially chose the Vols over Syracuse and other elite programs because of his relationship with head coach Bruce Pearl – who said Harris would be the “face of Tennessee basketball for the next several years” — and the promise of individual and team success in Knoxville.

Click here to read the full story at SNY.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook.

During the NCAA tournament, Vols Coach Bruce Pearl told me Harris was going to be “the face of Tennessee basketball for the next several years.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Tobias Harris

At 2:15, the 6-foot-9 Harris leads Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West (23-1) into a New York State Federation Class AA semifinal against Rochester East (19-4) at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Sometime after 3:30, No. 6 Tennessee faces No. 14 Ohio University (22-14) in a second-round NCAA tournament game in Providence, R.I.

Just a few months from now, Harris and Tennessee will be united and then the multi-skilled forward will become the program’s featured player.

“He is going to be the face of Tennessee basketball for the next several years,” Vols coach Bruce Pearl said early Friday morning after Tennessee edged San Diego State, 62-59, in the first round.

Just this past week, Harris was honored as both “Mr. New York Basketball” and the Gatorade New York Boys Basketball Player of the Year.  He is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month.

“It means a lot and that the hard work is paying off,” Harris wrote in a text message. “I just want to thank my parents and trainers Britton Kelley and Jerry Powell and my teammates and coaches.”

Harris will also play in the McDonald’s All-American Game March 31 in Columbus, Ohio and the Jordan Brand Classic April 17 in New York.

Harris became the story of last summer after transforming his body through a workout program in his hometown. He was one of the top players on the summer AAU circuit and soon became the object of desire virtually every major program in the nation.

“His potential is limitless,” said New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. ”He’s always had a very high skill level for his size and he has a very sophisticated feel for the game.

“The only thing is he had such a coltish young body, he’s had to grow into his body. He’s done a great job of that working with a personal trainer. He’s made huge strides in terms of his agility and quickness and strength. The consequences of that is that he plays so much harder. I think he’s still growing. He’s 6-8, he may end up 6-10. I really think he can be a terrific player.”

Harris averages 24.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.

“You talk about as good a player as he is, he’s that much better of a person,” Pearl said. “As hard as he works, he works harder than any player in high school basketball. He’s got a wonderful family.”

Pearl and Tennessee won the Harris Sweepstakes over college powerhouses Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse.

From Bernard King to Ernie Grunfeld, Tennessee has a rich tradition of New York players and Pearl believes Harris can attract other stars to Knoxville.

“He’s gonna have a pied piper effect,” Pearl said. “Other kids are going to want to come to Tennessee to play with a player like Tobias Harris.”

**For more on Tobias and Tyler Harris, check out this video interview.

TYLER QUITS ISRAELI TEAM

Read Pete Thamel’s story about Jeremy Tyler’s downfall in Israel after he left the bench in a game a month ago.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

Alex Kline of BoxofMess.com continues to put in work interviewing many of the top high school prospects in the New York metropolitan area.

In this piece, Kline gets Burlington (N.J.) Life Center stars Dion Waiters and LaQuinton Ross talking about their future goals and plans.

The 6-foot-8 Ross has already been compared to Kevin Durant by Burlington coach Wilson Arroyo.

The junior transferred from Murrah (Miss.) High in order to play a national schedule against better competition.

Here he lists these schools among his possible choices: Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, UConn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Florida and Texas.

Asked if he might join Waiters at Syracuse, Ross said: “It’s  a possibility.”

Asked about his visit schedule, he said: “I probably plan on taking some this summer…I’m going to narrow [my list] down to the top five next summer. Top five, Syracuse will be in there.”

As for the 6-3 Waiters, he has been following Syracuse’s progress this year and says, “I hope they win a national championship.”

Waiters joins a Top 3 recruiting class that includes 7-foot Fabricio de Melo of the Sagemont (Fla.) High School; C.J. Fair, a 6-8 forward from Baltimore who attends Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.; and Baye Moussa Keita, a 6-9 forward at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy.

“They all bring something to the table,” he said.

HARRIS REACHES 2,000 POINTS

Congrats to Tennessee-bound forward Tobias Harris for scoring his 2,000th career point Tuesday night in an 80-63 win over Copiague in a Suffolk Class AA quarterfinal.

According to Newsday, the 6-8 Harris reached the milestone on a layup with two minutes left in the third quarter, and became the 11th Long Islander to accomplish the feat.

“It means a lot to me,” Harris, who has 2,008 points and added 17 rebounds, told Newsday. “It’s a great step in my career and it’ll be nice to look back on, but for now I’m just worried about us winning states.”

Half Hollow Hills West coach Bill Mitaritonna credited Harris’ work ethic for his success.

“He downplays everything because he’s only concerned about the team,” Mitaritonna, whose team improved to 20-0 and will face Bay Shore in the semifinals Sunday at Farmingdale State, told Newsday. “He works when nobody’s around. Before the season he was waking up at 5:30 a.m. to run, he does his lifting and speed drills after games and he’ll come back to school at night and take 1,000 shots. He’s a special player and that’s why he’s a McDonald’s All-American.”

IRVING’S CAREER WINDING DOWN

Kyrie Irving’s high school career is winding down.

Because St. Patrick was banned from the New Jersey state tournament, the Duke-bound Irving can play only two more games with the Celtics.

Top-seeded St. Patrick meets Union Wednesday night in one Union County semifinal at 7:30 at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, while No. 2 Plainfield (20-2) takes on No. 3 Linden (16-5) in the other.

“It’s really starting to hit me..i have 2 games left in my season…73 more points to a 1000 with st patricks..I’m gonna miss these guys..h&h,” Irving wrote on his Twitter page.

The championship game is Saturday at 3 at Kean University, and will be shown Sunday at 9 on MSG.

FREE THROWS

Desmond Hubert, a 6-9, 200-pound junior center from New Egypt (N.J.) High, has offers from Villanova, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Seton Hall, according to Mike Quick of MSG. Hubert already has more than 1,000 points.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.

Villanova-bound forward JayVaughn Pinkston of Bishop Loughlin, Tennessee commit Tobias Harris of Half Hollow Hills West, Duke-bound guard Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick and Queens native Doron Lamb of Oak Hill Academy will play in the game March 31 at the Value City Arena in Columbia, Ohio.

“I’m the first [player] from my school to make the McDonald’s game; that’s big,” the 6-foot-5 Pinkston told Chris Lawlor of ESPN.com. “In the end, it’s not about individual stuff but getting the ‘W.’ You take nothing for granted; I did my talking on the court.”

Pinkston and Harris played against one another last month at the Big Apple Invitational, with Harris’ team coming out on top, 75-72 in OT. Pinkston poured in 34 points and grabbed 14 points in the game, while Harris had 19 and 7 before fouling out.

“It feels great, it’s an honor,” Harris said of making the game. “The hard work is paying off but I still have a long way to go.”

Two players from Findlay (Nev.) Prep, Texas-bound forward Tristan Thompson, and uncommitted guard Cory Joseph, were also selected. Thompson previously played at Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s.

“I feel great. It’s an honor to be named a McDonald’s All-American,” Joseph said by text.

Joseph is one of uncommitted players in the game, meaning there will be added interest at that time of year when the players are getting close to making their college announcements.

Here are the rosters courtesy ESPN.com:

East: 6-7 Reggie Bullock, Kinston (N.C.), North Carolina; 6-8 Tobias Harris, Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Tennessee; 6-3 Kyrie Irving, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), Duke; 6-0 Joe Jackson, White Station (Memphis), Memphis; 6-11 Perry Jones, Duncanville (Texas), Baylor; Jelan Kendrick, Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), Memphis; 6-9 C.J. Leslie, Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), undecided; 6-4 Kendall Marshall, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), North Carolina; 6-7 Jayvaughn Pinkston, Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Villanova; Josh Selby, Lake Clifton (Baltimore), undecided; 6-9 Jared Sullinger, Northland (Columbus, Ohio), Ohio State; 6-7 Deshaun Thomas, Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Ohio State.

West: 6-3 Keith Appling, Pershing (Detroit), Michigan State; 6-8 Harrison Barnes, Ames (Iowa), North Carolina; 6-9 Terrence Jones, Jefferson (Portland, Ore.), undecided; 6-3 Cory Joseph, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), undecided; Brandon Knight, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), undecided; 6-4 Doron Lamb, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), undecided; 6-1 Ray McCallum, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), undecided; 7-0 Fab Melo, Sagemont School (Weston, Fla.), Syracuse; 6-8 Jereme Richmond, Waukegan (Ill.), Illinois; 6-10 Joshua Smith, Kentwood (Kent, Wash.), UCLA; 6-10 Tristan Thompson, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), Texas; 6-9 Patric Young, Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), Florida.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.

Four players from New York and New Jersey will play in the prestigious game March 31 in Columbus, Ohio.

Duke-bound guard Kyrie Irving of Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick; Tennessee-bound forward Tobias Harris of Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West; Villanova-bound JayVaughn Pinkston of Brookyn Bishop Loughlin; and uncommitted guard and Queens, N.Y. native Doron Lamb of Oak Hill Academy have all been invited. Harris, on left, and Pinkston are pictured at left during their recent battle at the Big Apple Invitational.

Tristan Thompson, a forward who has signed with Texas and plays at Findlay (Nev.) Prep, was also selected. Thompson previously played at Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s Prep.

The official list won’t be released until Feb. 11 on ESPNU.

A year ago, three New York-area players were named McDonald’s All-Americans: Lance Stephenson of Brooklyn Lincoln (Cincinnati); Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony (Villanova); and Dexter Strickland of St. Patrick (North Carolina).

In 2008, Mike Rosario of St. Anthony (Rutgers,) Samardo Samuels of St. Benedict’s (Louisville), Kemba Walker of Rice (UConn) and Sylven Landesberg of Queens Holy Cross (Virginia) were selected.

FREE THROWS

St. Patrick junior Michael Gilchrist scored the winning basket with 2.1 seconds left Saturday night to lead the Celtics to a 68-66 victory ovre Joe Jackson and Memphis (Tenn.) White Station in the Newark Invitational. He finished with 29 points and 15 boards. Irving added 16 points. On Sunday, Irving scored 23 points and he and teammate Kevin Boyle Jr. combined to hit 9 of their team’s 10 3-pointers in a 75-58 win over Gil St. Bernard’s…St. Benedict’s followed a win Saturday over De La Salle in the Newark Invitational with a 52-50 win Sunday over previously unbeaten Plymouth (Pa.) Whitemarsh in the Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. The Gray Bees (17-1) received 16 points from Temple-bound Aaron Brown and 14 from Arizona commit Sidiki Johnson. St. Joe’s commit C.J. Aiken finished with 14 points and 7 blocks…In an 80-50 win over De La Salle in Newark, Rutgers-bound Gilvydas Biruta put up scored 15 points, 5 boards and 1 block, while Texas-bound guard Myck Kabongo tallied 19 points…Tyler Harris, the younger brother of Tobias Harris, has reclassified to the Class of 2012 and will spend a prep year in 2011-12 after finishing up at Half Hollow Hills West. His father, Torrel, says Tyler has grown eight inches in the last two years and could reach 6-10 or 6-11. Numerous high-major programs are after him…6-8 forward Ryan Rhoomes of Cardozo will also prep next year, possibly at South Kent (Conn.). Cardozo fell to Rice, 63-58 in OT, Saturday in the SNY Invitational title game.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.

“We weren’t ranked in the preseason as highly as we have been in previous years but I like our team,” Hurley told me before the game. “It’s a different type of team than I’ve had in the past.

“We only took one transfer who’s in our rotation, [Arizona-bound junior] Sidiki Johnson. All the guys that pretty much are in our rotation were on the team last year. It makes it a fun group of kids to coach.”

St. Benedict’s is not a member of the New Jersey State Athletic Association and doesn’t participate in the state playoffs, but Hurley hopes the team will be invited to the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational in April.

“In years past we haven’t had the state tournament but now we’ve got this national high school invitational where they get the best eight teams that they can get. It’s something to shoot for even if we don’t get the top spot,” Hurley said.

St. Benedict’s beat St. Patrick, 68-62, in 2008 when current Louisville sophomore Samardo Samuels was a senior for the Gray Bees.

Last year, Irving and current North Carolina frosh Dexter Strickland tallied 21 points apiece as the Celtics hammered St. Ben’s, 88-62, in the Hoop Group Showcase at Rutgers.

“We’re obviously were very disappointed the way that we played last year,” Hurley said. “We got exposed in that game. We got exposed in the Mater Dei game out in California the same week as not being a team that focused on the things that are going to help you win.

“We spent more time this year working on our halfcourt defense. We’re a lot more well-rounded team than we were last year.”

Hurley made the point that elite high school basketball is kind of like the BCS in football.

The teams that are ranked at the top to begin the season tend to stay there, making it harder for the lower teams to leapfrog.

A single loss can drop a team from contention for the national title, and two pretty much eliminates all chances.

“A lot of the local high school teams are in national rankings where us, St. Pats, St. Anthony and Paterson Catholic this year are all competing. We all want to finish No. 1,” Hurley said.

“High school basketball has become like college football, like the BCS, where you lose a game and you’ve ruined your season. Try coaching with that type of mentality where you lose one game and your season is a disappointment. That’s an enormous amount of pressure.”

You don’t have to tell St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle about that.

St. Patrick’s dream of a national title appears to be out of reach now that the Celtics have lost twice in the span of six days.

Still, the Celtics will be the favorite to win their third straight Tournament of Champions crown in March, although Gilchrist’s health going forward is uncertain.

“First of all, as a member of the state, the one thing is you have that to fall back on is to try to be a state champion if you’re out of the national picture at any time,” Boyle said before the game.

Boyle said it was conceivable St. Patrick could ask for an exemption to skip the state tournament and focus on the national event.

“There’s that national tournament,” Boyle said. “Most likely we’ll be in the state tournament but you could choose to pass and go in that if it made sense for you.

“Nothing’s ever impossible. You look at all your options. Obviously, you’d have to deal with the state on that as well and does it makes sense for you to do it or not. But that would be a possibility.”

**Boyle and Hurley to coach in college? Read about it here.

HARRIS DROPS 36 AND 14 FOR HILLS WEST

Tennessee-bound forward Tobias Harris dropped a game-high 36 points on 12-for-17 shooting and was named Most Outstanding Player as Half Hollow Hills West beat Chester, 82-72, in the Primetime Shootout Saturday in West Virginia. Harris added 14 rebounds and 6 assists.

Tyler Harris, a junior forward and Tobias’ brother, put up 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists. The brothers combined for 15 points in a 25-6 third-quarter for Hills West.

FREE THROWS

Manhattan Rice senior C Kadeem Jack will visit Arizona Wednesday.

(Photos courtesy The Star-Ledger, St. Benedict’s Prep & Rivals)

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter