Candidacy of Michigan State recruit Gary Harris sparked by long-term production

The Mr. Basketball USA Tracker updates the progress of the nation's top national player of the year candidates on a weekly basis, but this is the time of year when the panel has a tendency to step back and look at the overall picture.

While the tracker rewards stellar game performances or recent hot streaks, the actual honor is awarded to the player with the strongest overall resume as it relates to team success. It's the reason Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who led St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) to a 105-12 career record in his four varsity seasons while never allowing the Celtics to fall lower than No. 17 in the POWERADE FAB 50, won the award last year over players such as current Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis and Duke star Austin Rivers.

Overall resume is the reason Gary Harris of Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) has emerged as a legitimate candidate. He appeared on four ballots, including a third-place vote, to garner 22 points. That tied him for seventh place this week with Marcus Smart of Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), who has been garnering votes all season long.

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Ronnie Flores is a senior editor for ESPNHS. He can be reached at ronnie.flores@espn.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonFloresESPN