HomeTeam Hot Shots
A spotlight on the Times’ bay area players of the week.
Male Hot Shot: Devin Harris, Jesuit
Sport: Basketball
Skinny: In a 48-hour span, Harris guided the No. 1-ranked Tigers (24-1) to two of their biggest wins of the season even as he brandished the lost art of free-throw shooting. A 6-foot-4 point guard, Harris had 19 points each in 12- and 17-point victories against Berkeley Prep and Tampa Catholic, respectively, notching a double double (19 points, 10 rebounds) in the latter. Automatic at the free-throw line (14-for-16) over the two games, Harris was 6-for-6 from the stripe in the last 97 seconds of the Berkeley win, when the Buccaneers remained in striking distance. “Devin Harris plays at another level in big games,” Jesuit coach Neal Goldman said. “He’s done that since he’s been here, so it doesn’t surprise me that he made every (free throw).”
Female Hot Shot: Taylor Emery, Freedom
Sport: Basketball
Skinny: Playing alongside Georgetown-bound senior Faith Woodard, Emery dominated both ends of the floor in the Patriots’ 63-45 win over Steinbrenner in the Class 7A, District 9 final. The 5-foot-9 sophomore had 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting and a game-high eight steals. In the semifinals against Gaither, Emery had 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Instead of deferring to Woodard, who transferred from Riverview in the summer, Emery has stayed aggressive and given the Patriots firepower that no team in Hillsborough County has been able to match. Freedom coach Laurie Pacholke predicts Emery will only get better over the next two years. “Hillsborough has never seen anything like her,” Pacholke said. “She’s going to be the best to come out of this county before it’s said and done.”