Lawrence North girls hope to ride 'Block Party' to state title

• HS girls basketball regionals begin Saturday with 16 Indy-area teams advancing

Once you spot Ae’Rianna Harris on the basketball court, it’s difficult to move your eyes to anybody else.

The 6-1 Harris is the rare high school girls basketball player who can dunk. She’s done it, though not yet in a game. Sometimes, during a down moment in Lawrence North’s practice, the senior Purdue recruit will jump up and just hang from the rim by one hand.

When coach Chris Giffin calls her a “freakish athlete,” he means it in the nicest way possible. Harris is a big reason why Class 4A third-ranked Lawrence North (20-3) is a top state title contender heading into Saturday’s regional semifinal against fifth-ranked Roncalli (22-4) at Decatur Central. The winner will face either No. 9 Plainfield (24-2) or No. 10 Greenfield-Central (22-4) on Saturday night.

“I’ve seen her dunk,” said Giffin, the fourth-year Lawrence North coach said of Harris. “She’s got ups. We haven’t devised any lob plays to her yet, but she does have that capability to get up there.”

Harris’ athleticism is off the charts. She earned the nickname “Block Party” from her father, LaJuan Harris, in the seventh grade. She blocked a shot in a game and then another and another. “It’s a block party and everybody’s invited,” LaJuan joked. The nickname stuck.

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Harris showed why in last week’s 53-51 nail-biter of a win over North Central in the sectional semifinal. With Lawrence North leading by one point and the clock ticking down to 5 seconds, North Central sophomore Taylor Ramey unleashed a 3-pointer from the corner.

As the left-handed Ramey released the ball, Harris jumped at her with her right arm extended. Harris deflected the shot – her ninth block of the game – and it caromed off the side of the backboard to a Lawrence North teammate.

Game over.

“She’s an extraordinary player,” Lawrence North senior Lauren Dickerson said of Harris. “People are scared to go in there against her. If we mess up, we know she’s in there to clean it up. That’s a great thing.”

Some teams attempt to take it at Harris in an effort to get her in foul trouble. It’s not that easy.

“North Central said it before the game,” she said. “ ‘Try to foul her out.’ Surprisingly, I ended up with one foul the whole game. Some teams try it, some don’t. It doesn’t always work.”

Harris’ ability to block shots and rebound (she’s averaging 12.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots this season) made her a five-star prospect and the No. 20 overall player in the country by ESPN. She committed to Purdue and coach Sharon Versyp early in her sophomore year at Ben Davis over offers from Butler and Indiana State.

“It’s hard to accurately describe how much Ae’Rianna brings to the table,” Versyp said when Harris signed with Purdue in November. "Her rebounding, her defense and shot blocking will have an immediate impact on our team and the entire conference. She’s a special player, a fantastic person and I can’t wait to get her in a Boilermaker uniform.”

Harris, who transferred to Lawrence North before her junior year, attracts attention in more ways than one. She’s currently sporting a blonde hairdo that sprouts up over her headband.

“I asked everybody what color I should dye it,” Harris said. “I’ve had it red, brown, a little blonde-ish. Nobody answered so I told my stylist to do what she wants. She dyed it blonde.”

Though it may not appear to be the case, Harris doesn’t actively seek out attention. “I’m more of a keep-to-myself kind of person,” she said. Her interests outside of basketball include reading and writing, solving Rubik’s Cubes (she has completed it), playing Sudoku or the piano.

“She’s very eclectic,” Giffin said. “She has a lot of diverse interests. She’s a really cool and well-rounded young lady.”

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Harris said she’d like to become a marriage and family therapist after college. That is, if a career in the WNBA isn’t an option. For as long as she can remember, Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings has been her hero.

“I’ve always wanted to play for the Fever since I saw Tamika Catchings play for the first time,” she said. “When I first started playing, I just played because my dad did. But then I saw (Catchings) and it was like, ‘OK, that’s where I want to be. Let’s see how far I can go with this.’ ”

On such a talented high school team, Harris’ offensive numbers aren’t always eye-popping. At the college level, she’ll need to improve her jump shot and ballhanding skills. But she thrives in the transition game, a rare trait for a player her size.

“Her greatest quality besides her natural athleticism is her coachability and unselfishness,” Giffin said. “She’s a great teammate. Sometimes we need her to be a little more assertive and commanding.”

With a little time in a college weight room, Harris said she hopes she’ll be dunking in front of Purdue fans next season. First, she’d like to lead Lawrence North to a state title for the first time. The Wildcats have been knocking on the door the past two seasons, losing in the semistate to eventual state champions.

Harris would love to make it a “Block Party” at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Feb. 27 in the state finals.

“I think we’re playing our best right now,” Harris said. “We’re really tied in and everybody is buying into how good we are. We hope to push further this year.”

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

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