The NBA Finals have not even begun but it is already time for most of the league to start preparing for next season. The lottery was held on May 10th, the final deadline for NCAA players to withdraw is May 27th, and the draft will begin on June 23rd. We will spend the months ahead interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Iona F Toby Harris about being a sensational shooter and what it would mean to him to get drafted.
You are from Chapel Hill, NC: how big is the Duke-UNC rivalry for someone who has never experienced it in person? It is hard to put into words. When you grow up there you get a lot of flak from the other side: I think it is the best rivalry in all of sports. I have only been to 1 Duke-UNC game: it was in 2020 when Tre Jones made a last-second shot in regulation that lead to an OT win over the Tar Heels (www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSyZiV_45E). There are definitely some fighting words between the 2 schools.
You began your college career at Brandeis University: what impact did COVID have on your decision to not start out at a D-1 school? It played a huge role. COVID hit at the end of my junior year and also impacted my senior year. It was a little harmful because colleges could not come see me play in person, so a handful of schools reached out and suggested that I go to prep school. Being from North Carolina, all you hear about are the D-1 schools like Duke/UNC, but my dad and I drove around to tour some smaller schools. I wanted to go somewhere where I was wanted so it was an easy decision at the end of the day.
You only played 3 games as a junior before suffering a season-ending injury: how bad was it, and how were you able to get back onto the court? I had been hurting ever since the previous summer so something had been going on during the entire preseason. I tore the labrum in my right hip and just could not play through it anymore. After a game against Babson I could barely walk: it was selfish for me to keep playing and I was out for 9 months with no basketball. It was hard mentally, but in the long run it benefited me because I ended up loving the game even more.
In 2025 you were named a D-3 All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot. The competitor in me was disappointed that we did not have the season that we thought we could have, but it did show that my hard work paid off. The biggest thing for me was to put Brandeis on the map a little bit. In D-3 there can be a lot of politics when it comes to awards, but I wish we could have won some more games because there were some other players on my team who deserved some recognition as well.
Why did you decide to transfer last year, and what made you choose Iona? I got a medical redshirt during the year I got hurt but I am loyal so I wanted the chance to do something special at Brandeis. After my senior year I wanted the opportunity to get another year of school, and my coach was supportive because he was like a father-figure to me. When I put my name in the portal it was like a whirlwind for me: it was a little stressful to have a bunch of D-1 schools reach out to me. Iona reached out before Coach Tobin Anderson was fired and their style did not seem like a good fit for me, but even after Coach Dan Geriot was hired they kept up their communication with me. We had a great Zoom call, I took a great official college visit (my 1st-ever), and I committed the next day. They felt that I could play professionally and laid out a plan for me, so it was a no-brainer.
Last January you scored 9 PTS including the game-winning 3-PT shot in the final seconds of a 1-PT win over Merrimack (www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/1qkgasb/toby_harris_with_the_dagger_to_win_it_for_iona): did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career so far? We would not have even been in that game were it not for Denver Anglin (who scored 22 PTS). I remember that game very well because I played so badly in the 1st half (0-7 FG), but the team had confidence in me and told me to keep shooting. Merrimack missed a FT and I ran down the court to the corner: I was not 100% sure that it was going in after my 1st half, but it did. As far as my career it rankes way up there: to do it at that level, against the best team in our conference, and the way the team reacted, it is definitely top-5.
You made 26 of your 1st 27 FTs last year and finished the season top-4 in the conference with 90 3PM/41.1 3P%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? Just repetition. I give a lot of credit to my dad: he taught me from a young age to shoot the right way, and would not let me take threes unless I could reach the rim with proper form. He told me that if I react too much after a shot then it might affect my next shot, so it is more about muscle memory. I think that my percentages could have been even higher last year.
You are listed at 6’8”: what position did you play in college, and what position would you feel most comfortable at in the pros? In high school I was a PG, but at Iona I played the 2/3/4, maybe even a 5 at times in a small-ball lineup. My shooting allows any team to slot me into a bunch of different positions. I am taking time to perfect the things I need to perfect, but I would feel really comfortable at the 2/3/4. Shooting can translate to any level and I can guard any of those positions.
Last month you had a workout with the Knicks: how did it go? When you 1st get the text it is kind of surreal: nobody from Brandeis has ever made the jump to the NBA. I feel like I did well enough at my workout: once you get over the feeling of “I cannot believe this is happening”, you realize that the opportunity is right there and it motivated me even more so I have kept pushing for more. It was a tremendous experience and it has been fun to see the Knicks have so much success this spring.
What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean the world to me and my family: I would be 1 of the 1st Iona players to get drafted and the 1st-ever from Brandeis. I have pushed through so much adversity, but if I do not get drafted it is fine. I will continue to work and it will not hinder my motivation, but just add more fuel to the fire as I push for a spot in the Summer League/G League. It is right back to the grind because I believe in myself and have people around me who believe in me.
