:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21115821/20121222_kkt_aa1_527.0.jpg)
Harrison enters his second season in the Green and White after a pretty impressive rookie season in the MAC. He came over from Wyoming, likely to be closer to his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Harrison hails from the same high school as LeBron James and was selected Division II Second-Team All-State his senior year after leading the St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish to the state championship title. Wyoming won his affection out of high school, beating out Butler and Air Force for his services.
Harrison played two seasons in Laramie, and averaged just three points and two rebounds over his career. Appearing in 55 games for the Cowboys, Harrison earned a few starts for the upper-echelon Mountain West squad.
His first season at Eastern Michigan was a productive one. Harrison averaged nine points, five boards, and shot a respectable 40% from the floor. What may be most impressive about Harrison is his free throw percentage where he shot 84.4%; good enough for sixth in the MAC last season. Really, he's the quintessential MAC player: doesn't do anything flashy but puts up good numbers. A solid campaign this season will possibly put him within reach of becoming an All-MAC performer.
With the Eagles losing top scorer Derek Thompson, Harrison will have to take on more of the scoring load. For a team that struggles to score in the first place, this is something the Eagles really need Harrison for. He's shown flashes of his scoring ability in the past and now just needs to put it all together in his last season in Ypsilanti. Looking at the Game Log for last season, one can see that Harrison has all the potential in the world. Against Toledo he poured in a career-high nineteen points and scored a respectable thirteen against last-season's National Runner-Up Michigan. Of course, looking at that you see the duds against Ball State, Illinois-Chicago and Syracuse.
For the Eagles to make noise in the MAC this year, Harrison and future Top-25er Glenn Bryant will really need to pick it up. This team has the talent to make it a player in the MAC title race, and Harrison is the X-factor.
Coming tomorrow: #24