What does Blake Harris’ eligibility mean for the NC State backcourt?

Last night, NC State was notified by the NCAA that transfer PG Blake Harris would be eligible to play immediately.

This comes just one year removed from having to fight the NCAA to consider Braxton Beverly eligible for simply attending a few summer school classes, and two years removed from the NCAA not giving Terry Henderson an extra year due to medical hardship after breaking his foot in the very first game of the season. So you can see why everyone was so surprised when the NCAA made this ruling.

Harris transferred from Missouri midway through last season, so it was believed that he would be eligible after the holiday break.

Harris’ argument to play immediately was partly due to the fact that he had an ill family member and he wanted to be closer to home. While it seems obvious for the NCAA to be lenient in this case, in the past we’ve seen them deny waivers on the same grounds.

With this news, the news of the new draft rules and the death of the RPI, it seems as if the NCAA is trying to right some of their wrongs and change the notion that they’re old, self-serving and out of touch.

So, how does this change the NC State backcourt rotation?

Markell is the starter at PG, there are no questions there. And until yesterday, it was believed Braxton Beverly would once again be his backup. However, the news of Harris’ immediate eligibility may change things up just a bit.

It’s likely that Keatts won’t really know his exact depth chart until a few games into the season. But the initial thought is that it will give him some room to tinker with Beverly seeing more time at the 2 (where he’s a lot more dangerous.)

Beverly is a unique player. What he lacks in height and ACC-level quickness, he makes up for in leadership and long-range shooting. However, he’s not without flaws.

As a freshman, Beverly hurt the Pack defensively when he was matched up with bigger, faster and stronger guards.  When the dust settled, he was second to last in most defensive categories (ahead of only Sam Hunt). This is where having Harris in the mix will be huge.

Keatts has Markell, Harris, Beverly, Devon Daniels, CJ Bryce and grad transfer Eric Lockett. That’s six quality players hoping to fill 2 or 3 positions. Obviously a good problem to have.

If you want our opinion, we think you’ll see Markell, Daniels, and Bryce in the starting 5, We believe the flow of each game will dictate how Keatts handles his rotation.

Get into a shooting funk and need more scoring? In goes Beverly.

Need to absolutely lock down on defense? You could see Markell, Harris and Bryce all at once.

Heck, if NC State starts struggling on the boards, you may end up seeing only two of these 6 in the game, with Dorn moving to the 3, Funderburk at the 4 and grad transfer Wyatt Walker at the 5.

Harris brings elite quickness, the ability to defend at a high level and good size to the PG position. At the same time he’s not a great shooter and there are times when he is a little impatient in wanting to get to the rim. This is the type of player that should actually compliment Beverly perfectly.

Braxton is known to be patient, heady and has a great stroke (especially in big situations). So, on paper, Keatts has a combination for nearly every situation that could arise.

The point to take away here is that Harris’ addition from the get-go makes NC State even more dangerous. We saw what Keatts could do with a depleted roster. Now we’ll get to see what he can do with one that is busting at the seams.