Corperryale Harris is a laid back, quiet kind of guy. He is not the type of
kid to tell you how good he is or what he has accomplished. He just goes out,
works hard, and plays hard every night. For a while that unassuming style caused
him to float below the radar. That, however, is no longer the case and "Manny"
appreciates that people have noticed. "I feel like they are starting to
recognize me a little for what I am doing on the court," he said.
It is now clear that the class of 2007 is one of the most talented in-state
crops in recent memory. As they were coming into their freshmen year in high
school, there was already a buzz about certain players. You would hear names
like Darquavis Tucker, Alex Legion, Kalin Lucas, and Durrell Summers. Corperryale
Harris was a name a little farther down the list, but those that watched him
knew the talent was there.
GoBlueWolverine first noticed "Manny" during his sophomore year when
his long arms, good feet, and of course great defense stood out as a shining
example of old-school basketball. In GoBlueWolverine's early
2007 watch-list last February (2005) we wrote the following
"Best kept secret in the D! Harris is a combo
guard that a flat out player. Whatever you need him to do, he can do. Not a
flashy offensive player ,but will put up points in a number of ways. Has a good
jumper and can slash. Also gets a number of points on put-backs and steals.
Not afraid to do the dirty work. Will rebound and play stifling in-your face
defense. He is just a plain winner. If he keeps progressing he'll be very very
good. Should finish as one of the top players in this class."
Then after watching him a few weeks late in the 2005
Operation Friendship Games we wrote:
"His slight build and lack of flashiness might
fool some into thinking he is not one of the top players in the state, but that
would be a mistake. He just gets the job done."
Even though Harris had had a very productive year as a sophomore, but wasn't
being mentioned by most pundits in the same breath as some of the other top
players in Michigan. Then something happened with Manny during that summer of
2006. He grew three to four inches, rounding out at about 6-5 heading into his
junior year. That's when things really started to come together.
"Playing the game started to come a little easier with my growing more,"
he said. His numbers backed that up. He averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and
4.5 assists en route to leading Redford all of the way to the state semifinals.
After his good junior season, the accolades begin pouring in. He made the All-Metro
and Dream Team in both the Free Press and the Detroit News.
Now that his high school season is over, Harris has three objectives for this
upcoming AAU season:
1.)To get better and become stronger
2.)To be more recognized nationally
3.)To have more colleges see me and be interested in how I play
Even if he accomplishes all of his those goals, don't think for a minute that
Harris is going to slow down his work-hard attitude. "I have something
to prove," he said. "I didn't get that much respect, but now it is
starting to come".
Stay tuned for part two later today. Haris discusses his recruitment and
how the Wolverines fit into it.