BC Officially Signs Claudell Harris Jr. & Elijah Strong
Two new faces are heading to Chestnut Hill to play for Earl Grant and the suddenly (sort of) surging Eagles program.
It's been a nice couple weeks for head coach Earl Grant and the program as stud center Quinten Post announced hie was returning for one more year, and now two talented guys are joining a pretty good crew of returning players.
"We are extremely excited that these two outstanding young men will be joining our BC family," Grant said in a statement posted on social media. "They believe in our vision for the program and we believe they are great fits for our culture."
Harris and Strong join Fred Payne and Jayden Hastings as the newest members of the team heading into this season.
Harris Jr. is listed as a 6-3" guard and is transferring from Charleston Southern. Harris Jr. made the second team for All-Big South after averaging 17.5 points per game. Harris Jr. should be a nice piece to help fill the void left by Makai Ashton-Langford. He was also one of the Big South leaders in field goal percentage (.473) and free throw percentage (.796).
Harris is nicknamed MJ had at least 20 points in 14 games. In the 61 career games he's played, he has 840 points (13.8 per game and has hit 111 three-pointers. He comes to Chestnut Hill with two years of eligibility remaining.
"We're excited to have MJ Harris join our program," Grant said. "He brings great length, athleticism and a scoring knack to our program. He's wired to score and does it at all three levels. He has great speed and is good at creating his own shot. We look forward to getting him on campus this summer as he starts his BC journey."
"There was a lot of schools calling," Harris Jr. said. "A lot of schools contacting me, but I took the BC visit first because I built the best relationship with the coaching staff, Coach Grant especially. And, honestly, it just felt right. I trust them. I trust what they've got going on and I love the culture. I feel like I made the right decision."
Strong is a massive guy at 6-8", 240lbs. If him and Post are on the floor at the same time, good luck getting to the rim. Strong was selected to play in the 2023 Carolinas Classic, which is an All Star game for the best players from North and South Carolina. Strong was also named to the Charlotte Observer's first team and as a junior, he earned Conference Player of the Year. Strong originally committed to Wofford during the fall signing period in 2022, but will now be an Eagle.
"We are thrilled to add Elijah to our program," said Grant. "He brings a lot of versatility to our front line with his skill set. He has a great feel for finishing in the low post with both hands. His feel for passing and his ability to shoot will allow him to play inside and out. He's very passionate and his energy is contagious. we're excited for him to start his journey in Boston this summer and beyond."
"I saw myself being in a BC jersey and I feel like Coach Grant made it clear he would love to have me," added Strong. "I meshed with the guys on my visit. I was like 'I could see myself being around these people, pretty much every day of my life."