Miamian Without A Vice

Harper once cowered at the thought of facing postgame microphones and cameras, but now he is almost as comfortable meeting the press off the court as he is at breaking a press on the court. "He's a person who believes in himself," says senior Ron Hunter, the Redskins' sixth man and a friend of Harper's since high school. "This team is like the soap opera The Young and the Restless" says Hunter. "We can't sit still." When Harper gets restless, he and a few teammates might sneak off to Dayton at midweek to hang out at Mr. J's Magic, a disco owned by Harper's cousin, Mark Jones. Or Ron will drop by his mother's, where, she says, "He always has the house rockin'."

Harper also has Millet Hall rockin'. Or, rather, had. Oxford radio station WOXY-FM recorded a rap-music tune entitled Harper Valley. The refrain goes like this: "Jump up, turn around, up off the ground/This is Harper Valley/Slam-bam. Two more, coming back to even the score/This is Harper Valley." Proceeds from sales of the record were to go to the Miami Speech and Hearing Clinic. Although Harper lent nothing to the cause but his name, the NCAA declared that selling and broadcasting the song violated a rule prohibiting athletes from engaging in commercialization. Rather than fight, WOXY withdrew the tune. Leave it to the NCAA to figure out a way to stop Harper.