Cathedral Prep alumni Matt Harris Jr. was part of Cathedral Prep’s 2014 graduating class. Although he already graduated, Harris remains connected to Prep through various activities.

Before attending Prep, Harris attended grade school at St. Peter’s Cathedral Center, which has since closed. The building is now home to Mother Theresa Academy. Harris, a former basketball player at Prep, returned this year to Prep to help share his knowledge and skill. As a well-known former Prep player, he helped coach the varsity basketball team as an assistant coach.

So what made Harris choose to attend Cathedral Prep? “I attended Prep to receive a good education and to be a part of a great basketball program,” he said. His favorite thing about Prep was being able to come to school every day and see his friends and teammates. Harris is also a member of the Cathedral Prep 1,000-point club. “it’s a honor to be a part of the 1,000-point club and be mentioned with all those great Prep players on such a short list.”

His favorite memory goes back to his sophomore year when the basketball team made a run to the final four in the state playoffs. 

After high school, Harris went on to continue his basketball career at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, which is a Division 1 basketball school. At UMass Lowell Harris continued to wear number 22, which he also wore throughout his years at Prep. “I started wearing [number] 22 because it was my dad’s number while he played,” he said.

Harris describes his type of play in basketball to be most related to that of Eric Gordon who is currently on the Houston Rockets and a great shooter just like Harris.

Not only did Prep teach Harris a lot about basketball, but he also learned about life skills and growing up into a proper man through all he learned. Outside of basketball Prep taught him how to grow up and learn to take responsibility for everything you do and the proper way to present yourself.

Currently, Harris is training to play basketball, hoping to sign a contract to play professionally overseas. As someone who has played in high school and at the top level in college, Harris shared some advice for young people looking to play basketball. He said, “Play with passion and a love for the game. If you respect the game, the game will respect you.”