Dante Harris returned Wednesday night after a six-week absence while dealing with a high ankle sprain, and he was a difference-maker for Virginia in the 65-57 win over Virginia Tech – five points, five assists in 17 minutes.
This after just returning to practice on Monday, going about a third of the way, then taking part in about half of the team’s practice on Tuesday.
“Just to be back on the floor was just a moment I couldn’t wait for, definitely, definitely,” Harris told reporters after the game. “Definitely was hard. I’m just getting treatment, countless hours, times where, you know, I got a lot down, just, I just want to hoop. So, this is just, to be back out there, man, that was just a dream, for real. And I’m just glad we were able to come out with a win against our rival.”
Harris was a little rusty at first, particularly on the defensive end, picking up a foul 22 seconds into his first stint on the floor in the first half, and getting taken to the basket by Virginia Tech guard Sean Pedulla a couple of times in one-on-one matchups in the second half.
But as the game wore on, his feet caught up to where he needed them to be, and Harris was able to team with Reece Beekman in an effort to make Pedulla work hard to get his game-high 18 points – it took the senior 16 shots, and he also had seven turnovers on the night.
“It can be so hard to overcome his quickness, you know, he’s a tenacious young person defensively and, you know, he offered them, you know, another level of grit and toughness in the backcourt. I thought he helped their team, he really did,” Tech coach Mike Young said.
Harris was averaging a modest 3.5 points and 1.3 assists per game through the first six games of the season before going down to the injury suffered over the Thanksgiving break.
The counting numbers don’t tell the whole story of the impact that Harris can have on this Virginia team, though.
“When you have a young team, it’s, you know, you’re just trying sometimes not to screw up. You can get in these games on the road, it’s tough. And sometimes just an injection of some real legitimate spit and vinegar, or whatever you want to call, fire, and he is, he’s emotional and competitive and tough-minded, and he’s played in some games,” UVA coach Tony Bennett said.
“He’s a legit athlete, you know, you can just watch, and you see his quickness, so that helps,” Bennett said. “Yes, it takes a little bit of pressure, defensively, off Reece, sometimes we can sit Reece, though not as many minutes this game, or he can bring it up. So, I thought that was good. And we, you know, that we knew when he wasn’t in some of these games we played, that was a big blow.”
Harris will remind you of another small, feisty point guard, Kihei Clark, who is averaging 4.7 points and 5.0 assists per game this season for the Wisconsin Herd in the NBA G League, after averaging 8.9 points and 4.5 assists in 161 games over five seasons at Virginia, dating way, way back to the 2019 national-title run.
Harris refers to his competitive fire as “me just being a dog.” A reporter asked the Georgetown transfer in last night’s postgame about his confidence coming back from the injury, and with just limited practice time.
His answer: “100 percent.”
“I’m never lacking confidence, never,” Harris said. “I’ve got a great coaching staff, great teammates that believe in me, and my father believed in me, so, and most importantly, the Lord. So, I mean, if I got all that, I’m going to be good each and every time I step on the floor.”
That confidence, that fire, and the skill set – Harris is a borderline elite on-ball defender, holding opponents to 29.4 percent shooting this year, according to Synergy Sports – is something that this young Virginia team needs.
“I didn’t know, you know, how he would respond, but I just knew we needed it. We’ve been missing that competitiveness, that quickness at times, and that experience,” Bennett said.
Virginia plays again on Saturday, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The ‘Hoos are 10-0 at home this season, but is at this point 0-4 in true road games, all four losses by double-digits.
Bennett will want Harris back out there for another 15-20 minutes to give his team a lift.
So, how’s that ankle?
“It’s a little sore. Definitely gonna get some treatment after this,” Harris conceded postgame last night. “But as well, I don’t really feel it. It’s just my general running. I’m just determined to just go out there and just hoop. So, I’m definitely get some treatment. Just glad we came out with the win.”
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Chris Graham
