PORTAL — Portal’s Mario Farris signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the NJCAA’s Iowa Central Tritons Friday at Portal High School.
Farris scored 1,038 points in two years at PHS, and the team posted a 50-10 record with him as a starter. The Panthers (29-2) made it to the GHSA Class A Final Four in the 2007-08 season, and Farris averaged 16.7 points per game while leading the team with 8.8 rebounds per game.
The PHS forward was voted first-team Region 3-A after the region tournament and was named first-team All State after the Panther playoff run.
After an Elite Eight elimination in 2007, Farris decided he needed to make his game more multi-dimensional.
“When I first got (to Portal), all I wanted to do was dunk,” said Farris. “Everybody in college can dunk, so I had to work on other parts of my game. I worked on my jump shot from mid-range, and I worked on my defense. I’ve got to work on my ball-handling and my 3-point shot at the next level. Everybody’s gonna be good, so you’ve got to put in some work.”
Farris hopes his skill will lead him to an NCAA Division I school in the future. He feels that Iowa Central will give him an opportunity to help him work toward his business degree and hopes that the solid basketball program will help him reach his goal of playing at a higher level.
“I’m excited,” Farris said. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for for a long time, and I’m going to try and take advantage of it.”
Farris scored 1,038 points in two years at PHS, and the team posted a 50-10 record with him as a starter. The Panthers (29-2) made it to the GHSA Class A Final Four in the 2007-08 season, and Farris averaged 16.7 points per game while leading the team with 8.8 rebounds per game.
The PHS forward was voted first-team Region 3-A after the region tournament and was named first-team All State after the Panther playoff run.
After an Elite Eight elimination in 2007, Farris decided he needed to make his game more multi-dimensional.
“When I first got (to Portal), all I wanted to do was dunk,” said Farris. “Everybody in college can dunk, so I had to work on other parts of my game. I worked on my jump shot from mid-range, and I worked on my defense. I’ve got to work on my ball-handling and my 3-point shot at the next level. Everybody’s gonna be good, so you’ve got to put in some work.”
Farris hopes his skill will lead him to an NCAA Division I school in the future. He feels that Iowa Central will give him an opportunity to help him work toward his business degree and hopes that the solid basketball program will help him reach his goal of playing at a higher level.
“I’m excited,” Farris said. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for for a long time, and I’m going to try and take advantage of it.”
