Recruiting Roundup: Pensacola's Harris signs with SHC, Catholic's Gaston commits to Georgia Tech
Terrence Harris has conducted a number of signing ceremonies over the course of his time as Pensacola High School’s athletic director and boys basketball head coach.
The latest occurrence however had a significantly deeper meaning. As he stood near the front of the school media center this past Thursday, he watched on with pride as his son, Brian, ink his letter of intent to play basketball at the next level.
Brian Harris will be bringing his talents to Division II Spring Hill College. Also signing that day from the team was Jonah Carter, who will play next year for John Melvin University, a junior college in Crowley, Louisiana.
“Honestly, I let my emotions out on the last game of the season with some of these guys, especially with Brian,” Terrence Harris said. “They’ve worked really hard to be able to fulfill their dreams. This is something for the rest of the team, community and other players to be able to say, ‘Hey, if I work hard at it, you can pursue your dreams and continue to play.’”
It’s like a dream come true,” Carter said. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little boy.”
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Earning a spot on the PNJ All-Area second team, Brian Harris is coming off a senior campaign where he led the Tigers in scoring (16.5 points per game) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). He was also second in the area in made three-point baskets (71).
Listed at 6-foot-5, the small forward’s size and marksmanship are what caught the eyes of college programs. He received interest from Division I Chicago State and Division II Albany State, but instead will head to Mobile to play for the Badgers.
Terrence Harris, who enjoyed a remarkable playing career at the University of West Florida, never pushed his son to play the sport he excelled at. But seeing his son have a similar growth spurt to his younger days, he figured basketball would be the right fit.
“At some point, you're going to want to play basketball because you’re going to be taller than a lot of guys,” Terrence Harris recalled. “In the eighth and ninth grade, he wasn’t that tall, but he just started to grow gradually. Within a year-and-a-half he had a growth spurt between seven-to-nine inches.”
Visiting Spring Hill prior to the season, Brian Harris was invited to participate in a team practice, which served to be the catalyst to his commitment.
“When they invited me to practice with their guys, it just felt like home,” he said. “The guys welcomed me, the coaches welcomed me and they showed me how I fit into their system.”
The Tigers senior may be a weapon with the Badgers due to his ability to shoot either off the dribble or spotting up. His shot creation was the biggest addition to his game this past season, but he knows there’s more elements that can get better.
“I really need to improve on being a complete player when the shot is not falling, whether that’s defense or getting my teammates involved more,” Brian Harris said.
If that improvement is sudden or a work in progress, the future SHC wing player will take with him some fatherly advice to guide him through his college days.
“Love the process. Whether it’s going good or bad, love every single bit of it. Don’t take it for granted,” Brian Harris said on what he learned from his father.
Meanwhile, Carter is coming off a season where he averaged 5.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. But his prospect’s strengths go beyond the numbers. The 6-3 senior guard possesses premier athleticism at his size, which comes in handy when he attacks the paint.
“If you watch him play, he can finish at the rim. He can finish with his right and left hand,” Terrence Harris said. “Once he gets downhill, it’s hard to stop him from finishing at the basket. … That’s one of the things that I try to pull out of him in this culture of shooting. I’m like, ‘Look, nobody can stop you from getting to the basket. You can get to the hole with the best of them.’
Carter says he’s been playing the sport since he was two years old, which is the reason why he wears No. 2. This past year was his only season with Pensacola after transferring over from Booker T. Washington.
When speaking to the audience assembled inside the media center, Terrence Harris noted that Carter didn’t have the strongest work ethic when he first joined the Tigers, but the guard grew into his own as the season went along.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Carter said. “It was definitely a new experience, for sure, but I really liked playing for him.”
Other recruiting news
Earlier this spring, a pair of Pensacola Catholic stars from different sports announced their respective college commitments.
After helping the Crusaders to a 10-win season in 2022, rising senior linebacker Demontrae Gaston has committed to Georgia Tech. Elsewhere, in the midst of his first season at Catholic, Colton Guillot announced his commitment to play baseball at Duke.
“It feels good, I’m fired up about being committed,” Gaston said.
During a season where Pensacola Catholic reached the regional semifinals, the 6-1, 200-pound athlete finished with 37 total tackles (4.0 tackles for loss) with a sack and an interception. Offensively, he recorded 23 catches for 292 yards and five touchdowns.
Gaston is an asset on both sides of the field, but he was recruited by the Yellow Jackets at linebacker. Georgia Tech was the first Division I school to send him a playing offer back in January 2022. It was then that Gaston decided to take his play at the position seriously.
“I just tried to put in some offseason weight training, lifting weights and getting bigger,” he said. “I worked with my trainers and perfected my craft.”
This past season, the linebacker showcased his versatility by playing inside and outside of the box. He also developed a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the area.
Various other programs, such as Tulane, Memphis, Georgia State, Southern Miss and South Florida, soon followed suit with offers. Ultimately, the race to his services came down to Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Once the Demon Deacons filled up on commitments within his class, Gaston decided his future was in Atlanta.
“I figured there was no point in waiting anymore, so I just pulled the trigger,” he said. “I’m really excited. It’s going to be a change. Growing in Pensacola all my life, playing in a big city is going to be a big change.”
Guillot has made a solid transition to Catholic after playing last season at Lighthouse Private Christian Academy.
This season, the freshman pitcher/infielder enters Tuesday batting .294 with a pair of home runs, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored. He has appeared in two games on the mound, allowing a .176 opponent’s batting average.
Earning Honorable Mention honors to the Rawlings/Perfect Game Florida Region Underclass All-American Team, Guillott is the eighth-ranked Class of 2026 player according to Perfect Game.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Recruiting: PHS's Harris signs with SHC, Catholic's Gaston commits to Georgia Tech
