Top 40 junior Zach Harvey putting a plan in place
Four-star junior shooting guard Zach Harvey has had his a-ha moment. Shortly after attending the Stephen Curry Select Camp in August, he realized it was time for him to turn things up to another level while he looks to maximize his game and recruitment.
Already holding offers from Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, UCLA and Wake Forest, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard is no under-the-radar gem. He's well-known, but he told Rivals.com that he wants to maximize his game and the effort he puts into it.
It started to show during late July when Harvey was given more ball-handling duties for his summer team KC Run GMC and proved to be a multi-dimensional guard.
“I had a conversation with my coaches and they know that’s what I’ve been trying to do and get accomplished," Harvey told Rivals.com. "They helped a lot with that in the second recruiting period and they put me in the situations to show what I could do.”
By the end of the week, Harvey says that coaches from Kansas, Kansas State, Virginia, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Wake Forest will have been in to see him since the opening of the fall evaluation period.
While out West during the summer, he had the opportunity to stop by UCLA and likes what Steve Alford and the Bruins are telling him.
“I have a great feel for them because I was able to get out there and see that L.A. life," said Harvey of UCLA. "I liked it a lot, being on the West Coast. I liked the whole feel with the big campus and there's lots of people visiting out there. They have the facilities and all of the NBA guys going there in the summer to help push guys to get better, so I think that’s awesome.”
Virginia is a newcomer to Harvey's recruitment and hasn't offered yet, but they've caught his attention.
"Virginia just came in just a couple of weeks ago and I’ve always liked them," said Harvey. "I like their style of play and how disciplined they are. They don’t always have the (high ranked) players but they come together as a team and are ready to go full force.”
Next weekend, Harvey will take a trip to Creighton.
“That was my first offer," said Harvey. "I like the family atmosphere and all of the fan support. The connections are there with like Mitchell Ballock. I’ve always looked up to him and feel like he’s a good person. If he's made a decision to go there then it’s a good school.”
Harvey said that he's planning to set some more visits but for now the only other one that is locked in is to Kansas for their Late Night in the Phog event in a few weeks. The Jayhawks are also heavily involved with Harvey's longtime summer teammate and good friend Jeremiah Robinson-Earl but made it clear to each where they stand on their list of priorities during a June unofficial visit.
“(Bill Self) was just informing me that I’m a priority for hm," said Harvey. "He wanted me know that he wants me and Jeremiah together or separately and that’s not recruiting either of us for the other. He said he would take us over any players in the country at our position so it was nice to hear that.”
With more visits coming and no shortage of attention, Harvey is starting to plan out his future. He won't rush things, but he has a vision of how he would like for things to play out.
"I’m waiting on a lot of schools to see what is happening with them and if I should invest my time in them," said Harvey. "Then I want to play this summer and maybe cut it down to seven or eight and then pick five to take official visits to and then hopefully decide before my senior basketball season."