Trojan Freshman Harris Gets to the Point : Colleges: The two-time All-City player from Fairfax High is leading USC in assists.

Burt Harris Sr. has always been proud of his son.

When Burt Jr. was attending Fairfax High, it was not uncommon for his father to start a conversation about his son’s basketball exploits with people who stopped by his newsstand at Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.

Burt Sr. even told George Raveling about his son, hoping to get the Trojan coach interested in recruiting Burt Jr.

“One day, I stopped by his stand and didn’t realize that he was Burt Jr.’s dad,” Raveling said. “So, I said in passing, ‘I’ll be back to recruit your kid,’ and left.”

Raveling turned out to be true to his word. Burt Jr. was recruited by USC and is the starting point guard for the Trojans this season as a true freshman.

“I used to wear a button with Burt on it every day,” said Burt Sr., who ran his book stand for six years. “I knew Burt had received a letter from USC, but I wanted to make sure Raveling knew. I’m glad he took my advice.”

To many followers of prep basketball, Harris’ emergence as a point guard at USC is a surprise. Although he was a two-time All-City selection at Fairfax, he was known more for his scoring ability. He is leading the Trojans in assists after three games.

“It’s understandable that people are shocked to see me as a point guard at a Division I school,” Burt Jr. said. “That’s because I wasn’t a true point guard at Fairfax, I was more of a shooting point.

“Even though I’ve always been a team player, it was all about Burt in high school. People probably did not know about my ability to lead a team.”

Under Coach Harvey Kitani’s guidance, Harris led Fairfax in scoring the past two seasons with a 25.5 average. He helped the Lions earn two playoff appearances.

When it came time for the 5-foot-8 Harris to decide which college to attend, he narrowed his list to Loyola Marymount, San Diego State, St. Mary’s, Cornell and USC.

“I tried to look at which situation would be best for me,” Harris said. “I had big schools, medium schools and small schools on my list. I chose USC because it was best for me in being close to home and still playing in the Pac-10.”

Raveling had plans for Harris as soon as he committed to the Trojans. With USC losing Harold Miner and Duane Cooper to the NBA, he knew Harris had a chance to contribute early in his career.

Raveling became a fan of Harris when he saw him play in a summer camp prior to Harris’ senior season at Fairfax.

“I was impressed with his physical skills,” Raveling said. “I liked the way he played defense with his footwork and quickness.”

However, even Raveling could not predict how well Harris would make the transition from high school to college basketball.

With the NCAA reducing the number of days for preseason practice from 30 to 15, Harris had to beat out community college transfer Dante Powell for a starting job in only two weeks.

“It was the worst possible time for him to earn a starting position at point guard,” said Raveling, who had only one true freshman starting point guard in his 22 years as a college coach. “He was behind from the jump street in having only 15 days to make the transition. He had to learn how to play like a player and think like a coach. The hardest transition for a high school player to make.”

Harris’ father is not surprised by his son’s accomplishments.

“When he went into the program, I knew that I had taught him to go in for the job,” Burt Sr. said. “I told him if he is good enough, no one can deny him. I think he earned it.”

Burt Sr. should know because he began teaching his son how to play basketball when he was only 3 years old. Burt Sr. used to take his son to the gym to watch him play, and when he saw him making shots at 5, he knew his son was something special.

Burt Sr. taught his son the fundamentals of basketball and got him into Magic Johnson’s summer camp when he was 7. Every year since then, Burt Jr. has been a participant at Johnson’s camp and Burt Sr. credits this exposure in the development of his son’s talents.

“Burt got so good in Magic’s camp last summer (that) he was promoted to be a counselor,” Burt Sr. said. “Instead of being a student, he was coaching his peers.”

Harris, who had a 3.3 grade-point average at Fairfax, has done well academically at USC and plans to major in business administration.

“My parents are the difference,” Harris said. “They have always supported me and they taught me how to stay focused. They taught me if I work hard that my dreams could become a reality, and they have.”

Raveling could not be more pleased with Harris.

“He has made the adjustment well,” Raveling said. “He is very responsible with everything he does. He is just a very mature young man. Before he leaves, I expect him to be one of the top point guards in the country.”