Leading off today: Half Hollow Hills West basketball star Tobias Harris, one of the nation's top recruits, announced late this afternoon that he will play at Tennessee next year.

   Harris made the announcement during a news conference in Times Square. He had also been considering Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Syracuse and West Virginia.

   “I really had a great relationship with Coach (Bruce) Pearl and Coach (Tony) Jones,” Harris said. "It’s just a family atmosphere down there. I got along with the players real well and it’s just a great opportunity and fit for me."

   It's unclear how Harris' decision might affect Bishop Loughlin standout Jayvaughn Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 forward who had been heavily recruited by the Vols. He is now expected to choose between St. John's and Villanova in the spring, although it's likely other schools will renew their pursuit before the spring sining period in April.

   "After the early signing period, the elite players who don't sign become even hotter commodities," recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski told The Daily News. "The fact that he's still available will focus more attention on him."

   'Pearl' quits: Dwayne "Pearl" Washington says he's resigned as girls basketball coach at Thomas Jefferson in Brooklyn.

   "I just stepped down because I'm interested in doing something else," Washington told The Daily News "I have other opportunities and possible jobs I'm interested in."

   AD Elroy Cooks said the school will open a search for a replacement when the former Syracuse Uuiversity and NBA player's resignation becomes official. The team's schedule begins Dec. 2 vs. Banneker.

   When Washington was hired last November, he became the fifth coach to lead the girls team in less than a year. In February, Jefferson forfeited 10 wins after Department of Education determined Washington lacked coaching certification; the decision was overturned and Jefferson reached the PSAL semifinals.

   Peru's Ewald steps down: Larry Ewald, the most successful football coach in Section 7 history with 187 wins in 22 seasons, announced he won't be back next fall. Peru was 7-2 this fall, bringing Ewald's career mark to 187-53 with a state Class B title in 2001. Ewald also coached one season at Saranac Lake in 1985.

   "I've had so many great experiences, the decision has been tearing me apart," he told The Press Republican.

   The paper also reported the resignation of Saranac Lake coach Mark Farmer, who will concentrate on his duties as athletic director.

   Penalty confirmed: Newburgh will be without midfielder Alex Bramall on Saturday in the NYSPHSAA boys soceer semifinals aganst Shenendehowa. Bramall was ejected for accumulating two yellow cards in a 3-2 win over Arlington in the quarterfinals.

   AD Chris Townsend said he consulted with NYSPHSAA Executive Director Nina Van Erk to see if the one-game penalty could be overturned, but it was determined that the rule was properly applied to Bramall, who has 16 goals and 10 assists.

   "I talked to (coach) Matt Iorlano and he thought we should inquire," Townsend told The Tmes Herald-Record. "There is just nothing we can do."

   CHSFL star to UConn: Lyle McCombs, the explosive St. Joseph by-the-Sea running back, has given an oral commitment to play football for Connecticut after a whirlwind recruitment process.

   "I've always wanted to play Big East football," McCombs told The Advance. "As soon as UConn contacted me and I started talking to them, I committed."

   The Huskies began pursuit of McCombs last month after receiving film of the three-year varsity player from Sea coach Greg Manos. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound player has 1,644 yards and 26 touchdowns this fall.

   "I'm excited," McCombs said. "I've always wanted to play at that level. It's a big deal for me. I can't wait for the opportunity to play."

   Volleyball star decides: Irondequoit senior Mary Cushman, last year's New York State Gatorade Player of the Year, said she will continue her volleyball career at Maryland.

   Tim Horsmon is in his second year as coach, and the Terps are 13-17 after a 6-26 mark last year. Horsman was 225-93 in nine seasons at Robert Morris and Dayton.

Also available on the site RoadToSyracuse.com Football Site NYSPHSAA football playoff brackets NYSPHSAA boys soccer playoff brackets NYSPHSAA girls soccer playoff brackets NYSPHSAA field hockey playoff brackets

   "I think the atmosphere of the campus will let me relax and enjoy my experience," Cushman told the Democrat and Chronicle "I'm also excited about expectations for the program to turn into a top competitor. I wanted to be a part of rising program."

   Package deal: Albany has picked up a trio of Nrth Country lacrosse stars that could help the Danes turn the corner in Division I.

   Brothers Miles and Lyle Thompson, who led LaFayette into the NYSPHSAA Class C final last spring, announced their commitments this week. Miles, a senior, will play for the Great Danes next season alongside his cousin, Ty, a former Salmon River attackman now at Salisbury Prep. Lyle, a junior, will enroll at Albany in September 2011. All picked Albany over Syracuse and other suitors.

   "It's just that SU is like a powerhouse right now," Miles Thompson told The Daily Times. "Albany didn't win anything. We want to change that. We want to start something new."

   Accoring to the paper, the Thompsons are now trying to sway James Cathers of Syracuse Corcoran and Randy Staats, who played for the Iroquois National U-19 team out of Canada, to commit to Albany,

   Change is in the air: Proposed realignments in Section 1 are leaving administrators at some schools unhappy to the point that they are exploring a move to Section 9 according to HudsonValleySportsReport.com.

   The Section 1 alignment committee advanced a proposal this week that puts increased emphasis on geography-based divisional lineups for next year. It would result in Arlington (BEDS number of 2,646 this year) playing in a league with Dover (420), Pawling (345), Poughkeepsie (1,048) and Lourdes rather than the likes of North Rockland, Mount Vernon and White Plains.

   Beacon (846) finds itself grouped with John Jay (1,642), Ketcham (1,541), Mahopac (1,298), Carmel and Brewster (905). The League C would pit Haldane against schools two and three times its size.

   "That’s insane, Dover AD Bob Esposito said. "I know it’s not final, but that’s crazy."

   Several ADs offered alternatives that could be discussed when the alignment committee meets again on Dec. 1. A ballot on proposed league alignments is schedule to go out to schools Dec. 22. In the meantime, Esposito and Beacon counterpart Eric Romanino indicated they will apply for Section 9 membership before the end of the month and hope to receive the necessary two-thirds approval.

   "We went from bad to worse," Romanino said. "There are a lot of possibilities that could be done, one of which is to move Arlington to League B and Beacon to League A, but everybody balked at that. They wanted to stick strictly to geography."

   None of the alignment proposals affect football, which for now will stay with the same league alignments as the recently concluded season.

   “Everybody has a valid point,” Arlington AD Dave Goddard told the Web site. “When you hear a Mahopac say that not having to go to Arlington means their kids get home earlier at night, that’s part of the equation. We’re just trying to figure out how to make this work to meet the expectations of reduced costs while having a program that is positive for the students."

   Did SUNY make a mistake? The New York Times continued an outstanding series of stories examining college sports in the state by raising questions about whether SUNY schools have any business competing in NCAA Division I.

   The latest story gives credit for the University of Buffalo's ascension in football and it's effect on the school's profile and identity but also notes "there have also been public embarrassments along the way, none more glaring than at Binghamton, which is facing an athletics scandal that has drawn national headlines."

   SUNY's four research universities -- Buffalo, Stony Brook, Albany and Binghamton -- were given approval to upgrade their sports programs in 1986, but the newspaper reports all are losing money at a time when the state university system faces a proposed $90 million cut in funding.

   "That’s not the purpose of a SUNY school,” Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, D-Bronx, told the paper. "The purpose of a SUNY school is to provide the best education possible."