Junior guard Armon Harried has just come off two productive seasons with Canisius College before transferring to Binghamton University. The 6-foot-5-inch guard racked up 663 points across his two years at his former school, and will now try and replicate his success as a Bearcat. Binghamton has certainly been an adjustment for Harried, but nothing he can’t handle.
“It’s been a nice experience actually, you know, day-to-day it’s definitely a change of pace from Canisius,” Harried said. “Canisius is more of a city environment, less students. Here there’s like 16,000 students, so that’s the biggest change. But I’m just really happy to be here.”
Born and raised in Baltimore, Harried has been around basketball his entire life. He made his mark, however, playing for Lake Clifton High School, where he racked up a plethora of individual and team awards during for his hometown. Harried’s parents were basketball people as well, which is no surprise considering his lifelong involvement and infatuation with the sport. His father, Herman “Tree” Harried, is no stranger to New York basketball, as he played four years at Syracuse University and coached his son at Lake Clifton High School. His mother, Delora Walker, also played basketball at Coppin State and was a huge influence in Harried’s successful transition to college ball.
“My dad coached for so long that I picked up on a lot of things as a young kid,” Harried said. “My mom contributed a lot to my success as far as getting to college. Senior year I had no offers from any school. That summer me and mom worked out every day … I say it all the time but, without my mom, I wouldn’t be here … The rest is history after that. I got some offers and now I’m here. So my mom played a vital role in my career and, of course, my dad because [when] I played for my dad we won multiple championships together, so that was great.”
Harried has already proved his reliability playing for the Griffs, starting all 32 games last season and averaging 30 minutes per game. His 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game established him as a consistent contributor, his most notable contribution being scoring a career-high 22 points on three separate occasions and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds against Quinnipiac. The junior looks to keep up these numbers for the Bearcats this year.
“Athletically, the goal is never different than it is every year,” Harried said. “Individual honors are always nice, but I’ve been in college long enough to know that the individual honors don’t come unless you win. So for me, the most important thing, and what I’m looking forward to, is winning and having a successful season and eventually hoisting up the America East (AE) championship title.”
Last year, the Binghamton men’s basketball team fell to Vermont in the semi-finals of the AE conference playoffs. They’ll look to bounce back with the addition of several new faces. The team will be led by head coach Levell Sanders, who will be beginning his second season at the helm. Harried talked about the impact Sanders has had on him so far, and what he expects from the team this season.
“Going to the transfer portal, you talk to a lot of coaches,” Harried said. “For me, I was blessed enough to talk to a lot of schools. Coach Sanders was probably one of the most genuine coaches I talked to in the transfer portal. So, what I’ve learned about Coach Sanders is what you see is what you get. He’ll tell you the truth, and he wants the best for every player… and he wants to win.”