HS record-setter Lauren Harris of Yuba City signs with D-I program
Lauren Harris was ready for the rest of her life, to study at Long Beach State by day and to launch 3-pointers for the Big West women’s basketball program by night, having signed a letter of intent for a full-scholarship package.
And then it fell apart.
A head coaching change at Long Beach State prompted The Sacramento Bee’s Girls Basketball All-Metro Basketball Player of the Year to reconsider her immediate future. The Faith Christian High School of Yuba City record-setting star was able to get out of her commitment, which is allowed when coaches leave after securing commitments, and the recruiting efforts heated up again.
Harris this week signed with the Colorado Buffaloes of the Big 12 Conference, a program coming off of its 17th NCAA Tournament showing and fourth appearance in five years. As Harris prepares for Friday’s Faith Christian graduation as student body president and everyone’s favorite sharpshooter in high tops, she will bound into her summer with relief. Her father and prep coach, Geoff Harris, share that bit of elation.
Securing scholarships is not easy, to say the least. Harris is the only Sacramento-area player from this past season to sign a full Division I scholarship package, reflective of how difficult it is to achieve such a goal in this era of the NCAA transfer portal where players come and go. College programs fill up rosters in a hurry through the portal, adding to the eagerness for Harris to sign.
“Yes, it was pretty scary when she decommitted, because we had no idea how many roster spots were still available (at other programs),” Geoff Harris said. “ We are all very pleased with everything about Colorado. It’s the people that she was looking for, and it’s a huge bonus that they have had lots of recent success. She will be a great fit there.
“And our family and friends are happy that she’s not too far away. Most of the other schools she was seriously considering were back east. She had that look about her when we went on our visit to Colorado last week. We had a feeling it was the place for her right away.”
Said Colorado coach JR Payne in a statement, “We’re thrilled to welcome Lauren Harris to our program. Lauren is a proven winner and fierce competitor who brings tremendous experience and confidence to the floor. She can really shoot the basketball, and her toughness, work ethic, and competitive spirit will make her a great addition to our team and culture.”
The 5-foot-11 Harris is the all-time 3-point shot maker in the history of high school girls basketball, making 742 bombs. She is the first small-school player from an enrollment of fewer than 200 students to win Bee Player of the Year honors, which go back more than 50 years.
Harris and the Faith Christian Lions won three CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship crowns. She and her teammates were never better than this past season. Harris averaged 31.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks as the Lions roared to a 34-1 season.
She created space to shoot with ball-handling and footwork, and Faith Christian capped the campaign with a CIF State championship at Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings, a game that included her drilling a three-quarter shot at the buzzer to end the first quarter. Her 3,578 career points are a Sacramento-area record, boys or girls.
Harris in that game against Palisades of the Los Angeles City Section scored 26 points and had 16 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in a 51-37 Division IV victory.
“I never thought I’d be with this team right here, right now, having this trophy right here,” Harris said after the state final. “I couldn’t have done it without anyone, all these people here, my coaches, my family.”