2020-21 Player Preview: Dominick Harris

With all of the hype from the incoming recruiting Class of 2020, it is easy to forget about the impact Dominick Harris, the original member of the #TrickyTrio, had on generating the initial enthusiasm. That is largely because Harris declared his intentions to join Gonzaga nation way back in his sophomore year of high school, and spent the next two years actively recruiting on social media, and, further increasing his own national profile.

Harris arrives at Gonzaga ranked No. 69 in the nation, the “lowest” recruiting rank of the Tricky Trio. He played both point guard and wing throughout high school, and will most likely translate to spending a majority of his time at the two-spot while at Gonzaga. He is an old-school slashing combo-guard, who thrives on his athleticism, lateral movement, and quickness off the dribble. He’ll be a human highlight reel for Gonzaga—he already started it in high school.

He helped lead Rancho Christian with 30 points past Sierra Canyon this year, defeating the high school super team featuring the likes of BJ Boston (No. 5 in 2020), Ziaire Williams (No. 6 in 2020), Amari Bailey (No. 4 in 2022), and Bronny James (LeBron James’ son and No. 19 in 2023). Harris ended the year as a McDonald’s All-American Game Nominee. You can personally witness his unrelenting work ethic in the finely-filmed docu-series by Fresh Focus Sports.

Harris is bound to become a fan favorite, just based on his social media presence. He visibly and aggressively lobbied for Julian Strawther and Jalen Suggs, the other two members of the 2020 recruiting class, to come to Spokane. Strawther committed a year after Harris and Suggs two years after.

The 2020 recruiting class is a large reason why Gonzaga is one of the title favorites, but it is also due to the depth of the rest of the returning squad. Harris will have his work cut out for him in carving out a larger role this season. The point guard will largely be occupied by five-star freshman Jalen Suggs and senior grad transfer Aaron Cook. There will be minutes available for Harris behind junior guard Joel Ayayi, but that is largely up to the distribution of court time by Mark Few and the rest of the coaching staff.

Few consistently has maxed his Gonzaga squads out at around an eight-man rotation. The last time Gonzaga ran a 10-man rotation was back in the 2012-13 season. That might change this year, however, solely because of Gonzaga’s depth and versatility at nearly every position. As long as Harris demonstrates he is ready to go in practice, and by all accounts, he has done so already, it is up to the youngster to secure those minutes the old fashioned way—showing up and earning it in practice. Judging by his official roster photo, it looks like he is already a veteran of banging bodies and flying elbows.

Unless a freshman is coming in as a top-10 recruit, it is always hard to predict what their role will be in their initial year. For Harris, the major impact will come in the immediate year after. Suggs has publicly declared his intentions as a one-and-done, Cook will graduate, and Ayayi very well could depart early for the NBA or Europe. That leaves a backcourt of Florida-transfer Andrew Nembhard and Harris and a team chock-full of big dudes.

When Harris committed to Gonzaga back in 2018, the Zags were one year off of their first Final Four and National Championship appearance in school history. Three years later, he very well could contribute to the first national title in school history.