Looking Ahead: Anthony Harris
THI’s annual series taking a look ahead at the Tar Heels expected return for next season continues.
It must be noted that UNC signed six prospects giving it the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, wioth four of the players McDonald's All-Americas.
Today, we look at redshirt freshman Anthony Harris:
The sample size for Anthony Harris as a UNC basketball player can be found in a small capsule spanning five games over a 22-day period in December. That’s it.
It's also why he ended up redshirted and will be a freshman again this coming season.
Harris arrived at UNC recovering from a bad knee injury suffered in December of his senior year of high school. He missed the rest of that season after having surgery on his left knee and didn’t see action as a Tar Heel until the ninth game of the season, a loss at Virginia on Dec. 8. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard played six minutes that afternoon scoring four points.
He played 10 minutes a week later in a home loss to Wofford before taking on a bit more of a role, thanks to a positive performance in a 14-minute effort at Gonzaga.
Beginning with that game, Harris was an important player for the Heels in a three-game stretch that included a win in Las Vegs over Pac-12 runner-up UCLA and a home victory over Yale, which won the Ivy League title. In that span, Harris played 44 minutes scoring 28 points shooting 9-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range and he sank 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
In addition to point production, Harris was effective on defense and gave the Heels much needed vitality on the court. He was aggressive, attacked from multiple angles, played with tremendous spirit and was an energizer the team sorely lacked before he took on an escalated role.
He had just two rebounds and two assists over those three games, but what he brought to the court was exactly what the Tar Heels needed.
Unfortunately for Harris and the Heels, however, he tore his other knee driving baseline late in the win over Yale, the only game he played in the Smith Center all season. It was obviously a devastating injury for him but also the team. Just when it appeared the Tar Heels had found something, they suffered another injury, and if anything made this team feel snake bit on the injury front all season, it may have been Harris tearing his ACL.
UNC Coach Roy Williams adequately summed up how everyone in the program felt at the time.
"This is one of the most heartbreaking injuries one of my teams has ever dealt with," head said in a statement. "Anthony is such a great kid and his teammates and coaches have all seen the countless hours he put in to come back from the knee injury he suffered in high school. The impact on our locker room after the Yale game was devastating. Everyone associated with our program hurts for Anthony and his family. But we will rally around him and support him every step of the way. I know he will work unbelievably hard to get back on the floor."
Reason For Optimism: Though he played in just five games and never more than 17 minutes in a contest, Harris showed he can play at this level. He is a spark player, and once he’s healthy there’s no reason to think that will change. He’s aggressive and with the kind of attitude that can be infectious.
Projection: Harris will help this year’s team in whatever role he ends up having, which very well could be a significant one. He can probably play in a variety of lineups and is a candidate to start at the two guard, especially if he improves a perimeter shot that needs work. Contending teams need and usually have energy guys that can provide a spark somewhere in their lineup, and Harris will be one of those guys for the Tar Heels.