Harrow transferred from Kentucky to Georgia State to be closer to his father.
On Oct. 28, Ryan Harrow made his long-awaited debut for Georgia State’s men’s basketball team.
Harrow finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“I was really excited to be back home in Atlanta,” Harrow said. “All of my friends and family were here. To be able to play with my new teammates against someone else was really exciting for me.”
Among friends and family present at the game was Harrow’s father, Mark Harrow, who suffered a stroke prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, his son’s last season at Kentucky.
Harrow transferred after the season to Georgia State where he’d be closer to his father, who lives in College Park, Ga., to help him whenever needed.
Georgia State earned a waiver from the NCAA for Harrow to play right away for the team due to his father’s illness.
Harrow said his father raved about his son’s performance against Shorter.
“My dad said I played well and he was excited to see me out there having fun and smiling,” Harrow said.
Although Harrow has moved to Georgia, he’s no stranger to the Peach State.
Harrow spent majority of his prep years in Georgia, attending Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.), starting his freshman year.
He attended Concord High School (Concord, N.C.) for part of his sophomore year, where his brother-in-law, Erasto Hatchett was assistant coach at, according to The Advocate Messenger.
However, Harrow transferred back to Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.) to be close to his family after the death of his grandmother.
Tragedy turned into triumph, however, after having to sit out the remainder of his sophomore year, he became third-team Parade All-America selection, the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and was also named 5A Player of the Year as a senior.
For college, Harrow returned to North Carolina to attend North Carolina State where former head coach Sidney Lowe was head coach and recruited him.
However, after a year at the school, Lowe was fired and Harrow decided to transfer.
Harrow picked Kentucky over Louisville, Texas and Georgia, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
When Harrow arrived to Kentucky for his sophomore year, he had to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
In contrast, his new team captured the 2012 NCAA National Championship.
Unfortunately, when it comes to winning a national championship, defending one is even more pressure.
Several key pieces of the championship team left for the NBA draft, including the No. 1 pick of the NBA draft, now-New Orleans Pelican Anthony Davis, leaving the team to be composed of young players.
Inexperience got the best of the Wildcats as they suffered upset losses to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Finals where he took the blame for the defeat and Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT Tournament.
Seven months later, Harrow is suiting up for a different feline–the Georgia State Panthers.
With the transfer to Georgia State due to his father’s health issues, Harrow has a new start and an opportunity to finish his final two years at home.
Harrow has worn number 12 since he was in high school, but with the new start at Georgia State, he decided to wear number 55.
“My dad was born in 1955 and I really like Jason Williams who played on the Sacramento Kings. He wore number 55,” Harrow said.
Georgia State also gets a new start this season as the basketball program left the CAA this summer and returned to the Sun Belt for the first time since the 1981 season.
Along with the Sun Belt foes on the schedule, Harrow gets a chance to avenge his loss to Vanderbilt last season next Tuesday.
“I am glad that we get to play them again,” Harrow said. “A lot of people remember that game, but along with my former teammates, we also beat Vanderbilt twice last year. I feel like I have a pretty good feel of how they play and I think our Georgia State team will be well prepared to face them when the time comes.”
Although fans and media alike set expectations high for the Panthers this year, Harrow’s not worried about living up to those expectations.
“Honestly, I am just worried about how my teammates see me,” Harrow said. “I really cannot control what anyone outside of our program thinks of me. I just want us to do well as a team. I know that if our team is playing well then I am doing my job as well and the rest will fall into place.”
