On national television Thursday, the basketball-playing Harrisons, Andrew and Aaron, ranked first at their respective positions in the high school class of 2013, decided which school to attend — Kentucky or Maryland.
The last time a pair of duplicates this talented came along, they were known as the Coors Light Twins.
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After an excruciating 30-minute infomercial for ESPNU, the Harrisons were finally asked the big question. Their answer was the University of … drumroll … Kentucky.
Dagger.
For fans of Maryland and coach Mark Turgeon, it was a difficult pill to swallow. But at least the Terrapins were in the game. After decades of watching national recruiting wars from the sidelines and with schools from distant outposts mining gold in the talent-rich D.C. area, Maryland finally was able to compete for a national-level recruit. The last time that happened was in the Lefty Driesell era.
Just being on the national stage is a good thing for a second-level program striving to be elite. If Maryland was good enough to be the second choice of the Harrisons, many more future prospects will consider College Park.
Ultimately, the Harrison’s choice might have been more about the sports apparel companies involved with the schools and unfortunately with the players. In this case, powerhouse Nike (Kentucky) won over emerging Under Armour (Maryland). No surprise there.
– Kevin Dunleavy
