Brotherly love spurs Hills West boys' victory
Hills West High School Harris brothers all play for the varsity team after little brother (C) #24 Terry Harris moved up from JV. Pictured L-R #12 Tobias Harris, #24 Terry Harris, and #25 Tyler Harris. (February 12, 2010) Credit: Photo by Frank Koester
After a third-quarter burst that gave visiting Half Hollow Hills West a 47-point lead over Smithtown West on the way to an 80-52 Suffolk League IV victory Friday night, it was time for some sibling revelry.
The Colts started the fourth quarter with a lineup comprised of three Harris brothers, two Blackman brothers, a player each from the eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th grade - and a bench full of smiling, laughing players.
"I got the idea to use that lineup during warm-ups," Hills West coach Bill Mitaritonna said. "It was nice to be able to see all the brothers playing together."
Terry Harris, an eighth-grader and one of five junior varsity players promoted for the game, got to play with his more celebrated brothers, senior Tobias and junior Tyler. Ninth-grader Jamir Blackman got to play with his 10th-grade brother, Emile, also a Colts starter.
This was a happy accident that evolved from an unhappy incident. Six players from Hills West and eight from Bellport completed their suspensions stemming from an episode during Monday's Bellport-Hills West game. The 14 players had left their benches in the third quarter after two Hills West parents raced onto the court after a collision between their son and a Bellport player.
Even though none of the Colts' starters were affected by the suspensions, Mitaritonna had to fill his roster with JV players, creating a memorable scenario for the Harris family.
"This is probably the only time they'll ever play together in an organized game. It's a blessing," said Torrel Harris, the players' father, who watched the game from the bleachers with his wife, Lisa, and delighted in taking numerous photos and videos of his three sons afterward. "This is a proud moment. That's history right there."
What made the moment sweeter was that Terry sank a three-pointer from the right wing off an assist from Tobias with 5:24 remaining. Terry couldn't hold back a grin as wide as the foul line, braces and all. "I was a little nervous when I first went into the game," he said. "My first shot [a corner three-pointer] was way off. But I got a great assist from Tobias and I didn't hesitate to shoot it again."
Tobias (28 points, nine blocks) and Tyler (19 points) smacked palms with their brother before heading to the bench during the next timeout. "The whole time I was looking to get him the ball," Tobias said. "After this game, he won't get a chance to play with me."
Added Tyler, "This was fun. After he made the shot, we all started laughing."
