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Rico Harris
Rico Omarr Harris (born May 19, 1977 – disappeared October 10, 2014) is an American former professional basketball player. A high school standout in his native Southern California, he later led Los Angeles City College (LACC) to its first state junior college title in 1997. After his college career, he played for some International Basketball League teams, and later with the Harlem Globetrotters.
The eldest of four children born to a former Idaho State star and his young wife, he had given up basketball before returning to it for his last two years at Temple City High School. He soon became a star player himself as well as a top college prospect, likened by those who saw him play to Lamar Odom. He had the opportunity to play for several NCAA Division I basketball programs, but never did due to a combination of academic and personal difficulties. He then chose to attend Cal-State Northridge despite interest from much higher-profile colleges and the NBA, a decision for which he was sharply criticized since it was seen as limiting his chances of reaching the NBA.
Harris ended his season at Northridge after being suspended twice for violations of team rules. He eventually made his way to the Globetrotters, but injuries from a 2000 assault forced him to quit after one month. After leaving basketball, the alcoholism that had begun to manifest itself during his college career intensified, and Harris became addicted to illegal drugs as well. He was arrested many times before he was able to recover from his addictions in 2007.
By October 2014, Harris had relocated to Seattle with a longtime girlfriend and had applied for a job there. He never arrived back there while returning from a trip to his mother's home in Alhambra to complete the move; he was last heard from when he left a message for his girlfriend. The call was traced to the Sacramento area, and his abandoned car was found in a Yolo County park several days later. There were some possible sightings up to a week afterwards, but none have been confirmed beyond a cell phone video the night of his disappearance, and extensive searches since have failed to find any trace of him in the area. His disappearance has been featured on an episode of the Investigation Discovery series Disappeared.
Harris was the first born son of Henry Harris, a former star forward for Idaho State who, after his college years in the mid-1970s, was playing in a semiprofessional league in Los Angeles when he met 17 year old Margaret Fernandez. She eventually gave birth to Rico, the first of the couple's four children, in 1977. Afterwards they moved to Oregon, where Henry had been offered a job.
Most of the time Henry was a loving husband, but occasionally he became violent and abusive. The couple moved back to the Los Angeles area where they had three more children. Henry would often verbally and physically abuse his children, especially Rico. Despite that, Rico craved his father's affection and approval well into his adulthood.
Eventually Margaret left her husband, taking their children with her when she moved to Alhambra, the suburb where she'd grown up. Rico often held the family together while Margaret worked full-time. Although she later said she felt her oldest son was "born to play basketball", by the age of 15 he had given it up despite his size, and was considering becoming an actor. To that end, he and a friend attended Hollywood High School, a long trip from their homes.
After a year, Rico changed his mind about basketball and returned to the court. Despite the minimal contact he had had with his father since his parents' divorce, he used his father's Temple City address to enroll in high school there for his junior year.
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Rico Harris
Rico Omarr Harris (born May 19, 1977 – disappeared October 10, 2014) is an American former professional basketball player. A high school standout in his native Southern California, he later led Los Angeles City College (LACC) to its first state junior college title in 1997. After his college career, he played for some International Basketball League teams, and later with the Harlem Globetrotters.
The eldest of four children born to a former Idaho State star and his young wife, he had given up basketball before returning to it for his last two years at Temple City High School. He soon became a star player himself as well as a top college prospect, likened by those who saw him play to Lamar Odom. He had the opportunity to play for several NCAA Division I basketball programs, but never did due to a combination of academic and personal difficulties. He then chose to attend Cal-State Northridge despite interest from much higher-profile colleges and the NBA, a decision for which he was sharply criticized since it was seen as limiting his chances of reaching the NBA.
Harris ended his season at Northridge after being suspended twice for violations of team rules. He eventually made his way to the Globetrotters, but injuries from a 2000 assault forced him to quit after one month. After leaving basketball, the alcoholism that had begun to manifest itself during his college career intensified, and Harris became addicted to illegal drugs as well. He was arrested many times before he was able to recover from his addictions in 2007.
By October 2014, Harris had relocated to Seattle with a longtime girlfriend and had applied for a job there. He never arrived back there while returning from a trip to his mother's home in Alhambra to complete the move; he was last heard from when he left a message for his girlfriend. The call was traced to the Sacramento area, and his abandoned car was found in a Yolo County park several days later. There were some possible sightings up to a week afterwards, but none have been confirmed beyond a cell phone video the night of his disappearance, and extensive searches since have failed to find any trace of him in the area. His disappearance has been featured on an episode of the Investigation Discovery series Disappeared.
Harris was the first born son of Henry Harris, a former star forward for Idaho State who, after his college years in the mid-1970s, was playing in a semiprofessional league in Los Angeles when he met 17 year old Margaret Fernandez. She eventually gave birth to Rico, the first of the couple's four children, in 1977. Afterwards they moved to Oregon, where Henry had been offered a job.
Most of the time Henry was a loving husband, but occasionally he became violent and abusive. The couple moved back to the Los Angeles area where they had three more children. Henry would often verbally and physically abuse his children, especially Rico. Despite that, Rico craved his father's affection and approval well into his adulthood.
Eventually Margaret left her husband, taking their children with her when she moved to Alhambra, the suburb where she'd grown up. Rico often held the family together while Margaret worked full-time. Although she later said she felt her oldest son was "born to play basketball", by the age of 15 he had given it up despite his size, and was considering becoming an actor. To that end, he and a friend attended Hollywood High School, a long trip from their homes.
After a year, Rico changed his mind about basketball and returned to the court. Despite the minimal contact he had had with his father since his parents' divorce, he used his father's Temple City address to enroll in high school there for his junior year.