TU Hoops Recruiting Class Countdown: No. 3 - 1981
It doesn’t take much more than signing Steve Harris to make a recruiting class a success.
But the 1981 recruiting class was much more than that. The class of Harris, Herb Johnson, Vince Williams and Chuck North turned out to be the third best recruiting class since 1980.
Fresh off the 1981 NIT Championship, and with no early signing period back then, second year coach Nolan Richardson proved that his miraculous class of 1980 was no fluke.
The 1981 class is the only recruiting class in all of the classes since 1980 where all the players stayed at TU throughout their entire eligibility.
Harris had to be seen to be believed. His shot was so lethal that it was actually surprising whenever he missed.
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Blue Springs, Missouri, “Silk” was usually moving towards the basket while shooting. Harris was an outside shooter, but not a long range shooter. He had an uncanny ability to get his shot off with shifty moves.
More than just a shooter, Harris ranks second in TU history in steals, as well as in scoring. He has a career scoring average of 18.6 points, and averaged 23.6 points as a senior.
His career shooting percentage of 54.8 is astonishing for a guard, which included 57.9 percent as a junior. His career free throw percentage is 84.7. The three point shot was only in effect in Harris’ sophomore year during conference games, and he made 4 of 12 three pointers in the 1982-1983 season.
Harris is Tulsa’s last first round draft pick, averaging 7 points per game over five NBA seasons. He played in the NBA championship series during his rookie year with the Houston Rockets.
Tulsa was loaded coming into the season, with a projected returning starting lineup of...
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• LINK: No. 4 - the 2006 class
• LINK: No. 5 - the 1993 class
• LINK: Steve Harris was one of a kind
• LINK: Tulsa completes large 2016 signing class
• LINK: Curran Scott discusses his transfer to Tulsa