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Joseph Harris is one of the most accomplished players in Coastal Carolina basketball history. Now, he's playing on an even bigger level. Harris signed last week to play for the Leicester Riders, a professional basketball team that is based in London and is part of the British Basketball League. The Riders are early in the season and should get a boost from Harris.
He took the time to answer some questions about his new venture.
Q&A with CCU alum Joseph Harris
Q | Tell me about how you ended up with the Riders.
Joseph | I was sitting at home on a Friday and my agent called around 10 and that's unusual; usually it's by 6 pm. So, when I woke up and saw him right away he basically said England is almost official [and to] start preparing to go to Atlanta and then England in two days. He made sure i was interested and told me he would have official offer in the morning. Saturday came around [and at] noon it was a done deal. I was in Atlanta Sunday night and flying to London on Tuesday
Q | How do you think your game is translating so far to playing overseas? Also, what are the biggest differences you've noticed so far in the game over there?
Joseph| So I am translating nicely. The way I play is real simple: just hard and all-out, so you know what you're getting with me. Basically energy, hustle plays, 50-50 balls, charges, blocks and defence and offence will come from that. I met with coach Rob [Paternostro] and basically said "in this limited time I want you to do what you do best and everything else will take care of itself. The biggest change is the physicality of the game. You have to be tough or you wont make it in the style of play over here. No doubt about that.
Q | Talk about how excited you are about being to play basketball at the professional level. Not everyone gets to that point.
Joseph | Man, I'm still in shock. It took a little longer than I expected and I was starting to get nervous. But I'm overjoyed; I'm just happy to be here [and] I'm determined to make every day count. I know [few] people get to do this, but it's my dream [and] I would never give up on it. All the hard work to now paid off and I would encourage others to do the same.
Q | I know there was a possibility that once you were done at Coastal, you were going to go into nursing and give up hoops. What made you decide to keep playing, especially considering you are so far from home now to be able to do it?
Joseph | I mean, I considered it and the big reason behind leaving Coastal was to lighten my parents' load; they already help my brother and sister pay for school, so I thought getting nursing school paid for and play ball at the same time would be lifting a weight off my family financially. UAB gave me that opportunity and it was close to home, which was key, because my dad was overseas at war [and] it would allow me to be there for Mom. But after thinking about it I realized I left unfinished business at Coastal and I wanted to be loyal to the place that gave me a chance when others would not. Also, I realized basketball is only for a limited time. School will be there so I plan to get nursing school done every summer that I'm home.
Q | Was the NBDL ever a possibility for you? Was it something you looked into or were you focused on going overseas from the start?
Joseph | It was brought up that teams were interested but I was still recovering from a broken had so I didn't try out. I didn't want to go out there half-speed and make a bad name. Also, I need fine-tuning on guard work, so I had extra time to get back in the swing of things and work on becoming a guard, which has paid off in england. I'm definitely going to give summer league and the NBDL a try this coming summer.
Q | What's the ultimate goal at this point? A lot of guys who go overseas have different agendas. What is yours at this point?
Joseph | My goal immediately is to get my foot in the door, which I have and prove that I can be solid 2/3 at the pro level. But the overall goal is to fine-tune my game and make it back to the States and play in the NBA as well as have a nursing degree. Dreams don't just come true, they are made. Lastly, I would like to [give credit to Coastal Carolina] coaches [Gus] Hauser and coach [Bryan] Lewis (strength and conditioning coach for MRNA Basketball) for sticking with me and working with me every day until this opportunity came about. This would not be possible without the blessing of the good lord. I just hope to make my family, CCU and the entire community proud.
Q | Last, but not least, you left a Coastal Carolina basketball team that is left with high expectations after last year's great season. What do you expect from them and what are you going to miss about not being a part of it (at least on the court)?
Joseph | I expect nothing less from the team than a regular-season title and conference tourney title. But I believe this is the deepest and best team that Coastal has had since 2005. Barring injuries and distractions I think they have the chance to get in the NCAA tourney and win a game or two. No doubt I'll be watching them very closely. One a Chant, always a Chant. I'm pulling for them as if I'm still part of the team. I feel like I still am. The thing I'll miss the most is the guys and the packed Kimble Arena. It's home to me for the past five years and the guys were like brothers to me. Togetherness is what made us successful and will make them successful!
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Posted by: evefrigue | 12/10/2011 at 03:59 AM
Congrats jo. Its great to see a successful devi pup
Posted by: James hill | 12/14/2011 at 09:39 AM