Tobias Harris homecoming at MSG on Friday

For members of Tobias Harris' family, Friday night will be an occasion they have always dreamed of and yet simply cannot imagine.

Only two years ago this week, they were watching him play for Half Hollow Hills West in a big high school game. Friday night, they will see him play at Madison Square Garden -- for the Bucks against the Knicks.

"I can't even explain the feeling," said Torrel Harris, father of Tobias and his five siblings. "It's really just a spiritual feeling. Honestly, I think I'm in a dream. I just feel like it's such a blessing. Seeing him play in Madison Square Garden, I just might break down."

Being in a professional arena is nothing new for the senior Harris, a former player agent whose clients included Hall of Famers George Gervin and Lynette Woodard. "But there is no comparison to seeing your own child," said the former player for Duquesne and Murray State, who now heads an apparel firm.

Tobias, 19, heads into the game on a roll. After sitting out the first six games, the 6-8 forward scored 15 points against the Suns Jan. 8, 12 against the 76ers Monday and 14 against the Nuggets Tuesday.

How much he will play Friday night is anyone's guess. But it will be plenty for the Hills West fan base that Torrel promises will be there (Tobias' sister, Tesia, won't be because she plays for St. John's and her team is traveling).

When Torrel watches, he will remember having brought Tobias to the Garden to watch games and having coached him in AAU games. "I'd yell at him and he would never say anything," he said. "He's guided by God and he's focused."

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If ever there were a challenge to that focus, it would be a Garden debut. "My first time here, I was a nervous wreck," said the Suns' Channing Frye, Tobias' cousin (Tobias' mother, Lisa, and Frye's mother, Karen, are sisters). "So he's going to be a little nervous. But I definitely think he will step up to the plate."

Frye and the younger Harris do stay in touch. "He owes me dinner from a wager we made over the summer," former Knick Frye said. "He's a great kid, just a good dude," he added. " . . . He just works so hard, man. He worked so hard over the summer, every day. He's going to be successful in the league because of his work ethic and because of his skill and talent level."

Friday night will be a rite of passage for the whole family. Torrel said it won't be the last Harris Garden debut. He believes that Tyler, a freshman at North Carolina State, and Terry, a sophomore at Hills West, will be pros, too.

"I've always had a saying," the dad said. "The Knicks aren't going to win a championship until at least one of the Harrises is on the team."