WEB SPORTS CHICAGO | home
Russell Harty
RUSSELL HARTY
Chicago, Il. By Michael Kosman
The essence of a young man's true character starts with a mom, and King sr. point guard Russell Harty has a good one. "My son has never been on the street's ever," states Joanna Davenport, relating to the rough elements of real life that surround her home and her son's school. "I bought him a car so he does not have to be out there. Just last year he had a gun pulled on him at a baseball field. I was beside myself."
Ms. Davenport, according to Russell, is his biggest fan. Despite knee surgery she attends all of his games. She also scours the newspapers, magazines, and internet to make sure her son attends the right college next year and communicates only with the right people. Judging by Harty's current play, assisted immeasurably by teammate and fellow standout Golden Head, the need for his mom's help will probably be increasing very soon.
It seems foolish to say that at a low profile basketball program like King , Harty may not have garnered as much attention as he should have and other Chicago Public League standouts have at higher profile schools, but that may be the case. Now called King College Prep High School, it will always just be KING to anyone who cares about high school basketball in Chicago, and was as far from being low profile as any program can get. For a generation this south side school ruled the city in basketball, routinely winning state title (or coming very close) and churning out great players. But it virtually closed it's program a while back and became a College Prep school. Now in it's third season as a full-scale program and enjoying inclusion in the Red division once again, as well as being under the steady hand of head coach Jerry Reynolds, players like Harty and Head should help reestablish King to return to happier and more productive basketball times.
"He has a great ball sense," Reynolds said of the 6'0' 165lb. Harty after a recent victory over Kenwood Academy, a game in which Harty hit on a triple-double(19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists). "He really is one of the best stand-up shooters in the Red-East and very good at shooting the three," he said. Ironically both the head coach and Harty agreed on aspects of his game that show opportunities for improvement. Let's have Russell say it. "I need to come back to the ball more," Harty stated. "I need to move around a little more after a pass and get back to the basketball." But Harty comes back strong when he speaks of his positives, which were very much in evidence during the Kenwood game as well as all season long. "I know one of my strengths is shooting, but also coming off of screens and the dribble as well. I keep my teammates involved and that keeps them fresh."
Although we have not seen a lot of Russell Harty and Golden Head during their playing days at King, coming to an end for both of them after this school year, we know they will be going on to good colleges and perhaps fine playing careers. Head, who incidentally scored 22 points in the Kenwood game, combines raw talent and skill with very good athleticism. As for Harty, he is getting letters from several D2 colleges and area schools. A good run in the upcoming city and state playoffs may bring D1 offers, if it has not happened already. But it should happen for this young man; he not only exhibits top-notch skills on the basketball court, which are only getting better and better, he also exhibits the same top-notch skills as a person off the court. Very polite, mature, and intelligent, he sets a fine example for the 'New' King High School. We can be pretty sure he gets all those qualities from his biggest fan!
Russell Harty (L) With Golden Head; King's Dominating Seniors
