Next Stop For St. Charles High Grad Harrellson: New York City

When St. Charles High graduate Josh Harrellson begins his NBA career it will be in the largest media market in the United States. For a player synonymous with wearing jean shorts and having an old-fashioned style of play, this should be a captivating development.

Harrellson, a 6-foot-10, 290-pound center, concluded his career at the University of Kentucky this spring. He was the No. 45 overall selection in last month’s NBA Draft. He was taken by the New Orleans Hornets, but was immediately traded to the New York Knicks for a cash sum of $1 million. This agreement was arranged prior to his draft pick being made official.

Harrellson played for coach Gary Wacker while at St. Charles. Wacker is now a member of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Harrellson graduated in 2006, and in his senior season he averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks for the Pirates. He led St. Charles to a 23-8 record and the Class 4 state semifinals.

Quickly rising to national prominence this past March for his stellar play for the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament, Harrellson was able experience the spotlight of the Final Four. He was the target of media saturation after he became one of Kentucky’s primary players just one season after languishing on the Wildcats bench for an entire season. He had played less than 90 total minutes the prior season.

Kentucky lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the 2011 NCAA semifinals, 56-55, in Harrellson’s final collegiate contest.

Now, Harrellson can market his jean shorts phenomenon, commonly referred to as “jorts”, to Madison Avenue and New York City. Harrellson has carried the nickname Jorts for a few years now for his unique preference in casual wear. And anyone who thinks this is all a contrived joke needs to visit Harrellson’s web site at Jorts55.com.

Not only does he have official merchandise, including custom jean shorts, for sale, but Harrellson recently went on a 13-city, pre-draft Jorts Tour around Kentucky.

Concerning Harrellson’s pending NBA career, a cloud of uncertainly currently defines the entire NBA labor landscape. A lack of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the player’s union and the NBA’s owners has resulted in a lockout, meaning no official NBA business can take place until a new agreement is reached. The season is scheduled to begin in late October.

This did not prevent Harrellson from making his first trip to New York City last week, and attending a few promotional events.

"If we could convince every Knicks fan to buy a Jorts T-shirt or a pair of jorts, then it'll carry him through the lockout," Jeff Sheppard said, in a story published by the Wall Street Journal.

Sheppard played on two national champion Kentucky teams, played briefly in the NBA and planned and promoted the Jorts Tour.  

Harrellson does not have the option to work out with any of his new coaches or play in the NBA Summer League. This will inevitably slow his development, but considering what the Knicks paid to acquire him, it would seem that he is expected to be a part of their roster if and when the 2011-12 NBA season kicks off this fall.