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Eron Harris finding role with MSU basketball

December 1, 2015
Junior guard Eron Harris defends against Eastern Michigan guard Daryl Kirkland during the first half of the game against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 23, 2015 at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Eagles, 89-65.
Junior guard Eron Harris defends against Eastern Michigan guard Daryl Kirkland during the first half of the game against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 23, 2015 at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Eagles, 89-65. —
Photo by Sundeep Dhanjal | and Sundeep Dhanjal The State News

Two years ago, as a sophomore at West Virginia University, Eron Harris was about as talented a scorer as they come. Harris, a 6-foot-3 guard from Indianapolis, averaged 17.2 points per game for the Mountaineers during the 2013-14 season, all-the-while shooting 42.2 percent from behind the 3-point line.

However, after the conclusion of that season, Harris made the decision to transfer to MSU. Flash forward to now, and after sitting out the mandatory redshirt season for transfers, serving as a scout team player throughout the 2014-15 season and going through a suspension after an OWI arrest in July 2015, Harris has finally been able to contribute for the Spartans — a team off to a 7-0 start and ranked No. 3 in the country.

Through seven games this season, Harris is averaging 6.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game  — a far cry from his numbers a few years ago, but Harris said he's just happy to be along for the ride.

"It's a little different," Harris said of his role with MSU as opposed to the one he had at West Virginia. "It's something I had to get used to. Something I am getting used to. But ... I'm just happy to be a part of it because if we win, we all get to eat at the end of the season. ... It creates opportunities for all of us. I'm just happy that we're winning right now."

On Sunday, Harris very well had his best game in his young career as a Spartan, as he notched 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in a 77-64 victory over the Providence Friars. After the game, MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo said Harris was the difference in the game. And a day later at his weekly Monday morning press conference, commented on how far Harris has come and how much he has learned.

"He's just trying to find himself," Izzo said. "I'd like to be in the kid's head during the game because the poor guy is probably thinking about 9,000 different things ... and in all honesty, rightfully so. He's trying to get back what he had. ... He went a long time without playing in a game and I really enjoy the way he's kind of accepted that."

"I think what he's learning is, it is different to win games and championships," Izzo said about Harris' different role with MSU. "And that's what we've been trying to tell him. You can score points, but if you aren't winning, it's personal satisfaction. It's not the team."

Teammates of Harris have also been delighted to see Harris perform so well and they credit his willingness to be an unselfish, all-around teammate as a vital reason for his success.

"He's done a great job of being a good teammate and I think that's why he had a good game (against Providence)," senior guard Denzel Valentine said. "You don't normally get a transfer that is a great teammate like he is, because they want things to happen right now, and they're usually the selfish ones on the team. But Eron is not like that at all. He respects this program."

Valentine also said the best of Harris is yet to come.

"He kind of is just slowly progressing and I think what we're going to see out of Eron is that all of a sudden in a couple games, he's gonna just take off," he said. "He's going to start putting these games together and he's going to be a really good player and I think (the Providence game) was a start."

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