They’ve shared a room at home since birth and never thought of going to college at different schools. Whatever program lands them when they make a decision on Oct. 28 — their birthday — will instantly see their recruiting class become one of the best in the country.
This basketball journey started on the football-crazy fields of Texas, where Aaron was a star quarterback and Andrew played running back. But once their father started an Amateur Athletic Union team full of football players and both sons grew to 6 feet 5 inches, it became clear their futures lay on the hardwood.
Andrew Harrison said their dynamic on the court developed “naturally” as he took on the role of facilitator and Aaron became the scorer. He equated the relationship to two equally important pieces of a puzzle.
“Everything about them is different,” said Aaron Harrison Sr., who coaches his sons as part of the Houston Defenders AAU program. “How they play is different. How they walk is different. How they talk is different. They’re just totally different people. The skill level, I think, is equal, but Andrew’s mentality is just to get everybody involved and Aaron’s mentality is to get buckets, so that works great together.”
Maryland is very much in the picture for the talented guards, for a number of reasons.
Aaron Harrison, Sr., starred at Patterson High in Baltimore before joining the military and moving to Texas, and his “entire family” still lives in the area. Meanwhile, former Houston Defenders teammate and friend Shaquille Cleare will be a freshman at Maryland this year, a commitment Aaron, Sr., called “very influential” in his sons’ decision-making process.
Aaron Harrison said the biggest points of emphasis for him and his brother are finding a school with a family atmosphere and a style of play “that’s gonna get me to the NBA.”
No factor, however, weighs more heavily than Aaron Sr.’s respect for Turgeon, who has been recruiting Aaron and Andrew since his days at Texas A&M. It dates to Turgeon’s treatment of former Aggies recruit Tobi Oyedeji, who died in a car accident in May 2010.
“He did some things behind the scenes that he doesn’t want anybody to know. It was really a stand-up kind of moment for me,” Aaron Sr. said. “That way I knew, even at A&M, if I sent my kids to him, he would take care of them.”
His two sons were offering few hints as to whether that relationship will eventually make them Terrapins. After Monday’s game, both Aaron and Andrew barely flinched as they were flocked by autograph seekers campaigning on behalf of Maryland.
They, like the college basketball world, can only hope at this point.
“I really can’t worry about them,” Andrew Harrison said. “The most important thing is what’s best for me and Aaron, not really what everybody else wants me to do.”
