Three on the top for Harris

The fall will be a busy time for Dennis Harris, a 6-foot-10, 192-pound forward from Mundy's Mill High School in Fayetteville, Ga.

The three-star big man has three schools atop his list and a pair of official visits in stone as his recruitment begins to wind down. Central Florida, LSU and Rice are all in the hunt for his signature as the early signing period quickly approaches.

Harris said he is looking forward to getting out and seeing what each school has to offer. Central Florida will be his first stop on Sept. 14.

"With Central Florida, I have a real good bond with coach (Mike Jaskulski). He's a real good person and real down to earth guy. I've known him since he was at Florida State. When he moved to Central Florida, he stayed on me," Harris said. "We've talked about going down there on a visit for a long time."

Rice is next as Harris and his father, Dennis, Sr., plan on seeing the Houston, Texas school on the following weekend after Central Florida.

"With Rice, I've been talking to coach (Omar Mance). He's a real down to earth guy. He's an Atlanta guy and knows a lot about this area," Harris said. "We've had a chance to talk a lot and he's a young guy so we can relate."

LSU rounds out his top three but an exact date for a visit has yet to be established.

"With coach (Chad) Dollar there now, I've been listening to them a lot more," Harris said. "Plus the way they've been able to develop players like Shaq and Big Baby, they've shown that they can make players stronger. That's what I have to do in order to be a better player. And I like the whole staff there."

Harris said he likes the three options but isn't shutting the door either for other programs.

"We aren't locking it up and still open to other people since I basically have two more visits to take if I want them," Harris said. "We're looking forward to taking them but we are also looking forward to getting it done early and sign (in November)."

Penn State, Xavier, Providence, Navy, Texas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Toledo and Western Michigan are also in the running.

"We are looking for a good education as far as the classes go," Harris said. "Education is a real big thing. I want to get in there and make an early impact and showcase my skills."