Harris headed back to NBA D-League Finals with Fort Wayne
Photo credit by Michelle Davies | The Journal Gazette
The 6-foot-7 starting forward is shooting for back-to-back NBA D-League titles with the defending champion Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Fort Wayne punched its ticket with a 103-85 win over Canton in Game 2 to sweep the best-of-3 Eastern Conference playoff series.
“Everything is good here in Fort Wayne,” Harris told me. “It feels great to be in the position that we are in right now. Obviously it won’t get any easier now, but it is definitely a good position to be in.”
Harris, of West High fame, pumped in a playoff career-high 13 points to go with 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He made 5-of-9 shots and both free throws.
Fort Wayne has won five consecutive playoff series dating back to last year.
“I think that we keep winning because we have a great coaching staff that keeps us prepared to win each and every game,” Harris said. “I also believe that our chemistry off the court is helping us on the court. As a team, we go out; we get food together after practice. We do a lot of stuff as a team.”
The 26-year-old has had a storied hoops career – first winning four state titles in high school, then going to the NCAA Tournament with the University of Kentucky and finally becoming the first Alaskan to win a D-League championship.
“At this point I’m really comfortable in my game and when I’m out there on the court is when I’m at peace having fun and competing with my teammates,” Harris said. “I feel real comfortable at this point of my career because I feel that I have improved from last year and I feel that it is showing on the court.”
Harris improved his scoring average from 6.2 to 9.1 this season. In the playoffs, he has scored 36 points as his team has gone 4-0 to reach the finals.
“The playoffs are definitely a whole level higher than the regular season,” he said. “In the playoffs each possession matters, each lose ball matters and every defensive stop matters. I love it. I love to compete.”