With the departure of Kirk Penney, the UW men's basketball squad is in desperate need of a leader, and junior point guard Devin Harris seems destined to take the role.
Harris came to Madison as the Wisconsin state player of the year after he led Wauwatosa East High School to a 21-1 record. Harris made an immediate impact his freshman year, averaging 12.3 points and breaking Wisconsin freshman records for three-pointers, three-pointers attempted, minutes played, free throws and free throws attempted.?? The early success came as a surprise to even Harris himself.
\It was unexpected coming in here with a new coach and a new program, and I was just hoping to get some time on the floor,"" he said.
Last season, Harris established himself as one of the premier point guards in the nation and his last-second free throw against Illinois helped the Badgers win its second straight Big Ten Championship.
He averaged 12.7 points per game to go along with a conference-best 2.03 steals per game. His accomplishments did not go unnoticed as he was selected as a second-team all-Big Ten selection by the coaches. Even though he is in only his third season, it would be an understatement to say Harris is inexperienced.
In his first two seasons, Harris has played a combined 2,194 minutes on the floor, second in the nation to only junior guard Chris Thomas from Notre Dame. Harris is also one of only three Badgers to start every game as both a freshman and a sophomore.
With his experience and success, Harris has taken it upon himself to help his team in any way he can. Last season, he helped then-freshman Boo Wade adjust his game to the college level, and this year he has taken freshman guard Kammron Taylor under his wing.
It was only two years ago senior Freddie Owens and since-graduated Travon Davis were offering their advice to Harris, but now it is his turn.
""I do it a little bit differently than those guys do, but I think that they learned the same way,"" Harris said. ""I did the same thing with Boo last year to get him to be more aggressive and I'm doing it the same way with Kammron,"" Harris said.
Entering his junior season, Harris is garnering much more respect than in previous seasons. Harris was selected as Big Ten preseason player of the year by the coaches and has done nothing but impress in his two preseason games.
As a point guard, Harris understands it is his job to be the vocal leader on the court.
""I take my set of responsibilities as far as being the leader of the team,"" Harris said. ""But we got two great seniors who can do as well, but I'm just trying to be the vocal leader on the floor and make sure everybody is in their spots. That's what you do as a point guard.""
What is so unusual about a star like Harris is his ability to be a team player. In the Badgers' preseason victory against the Charleston Lowgators, Harris put up 28 points, but also added seven rebounds and nine assists.
If the past two seasons are any indication as to what one can expect from Devin Harris, the sky seems to be the limit. When asked how he gets his teammates to believe in him and his ability to be a leader, Harris grinned and said, ""Unselfishness. I mean I'm not out there trying to score 30 points a game. I'm looking for the pass first. If the shot is there, coach preaches that we take it, so I'm just trying to get my teammates involved, make sure everybody is on the same page.\
