Jordan Harris

Steve Virgen

There were several reasons Jordan Harris redefined himself in a game

against University of the Pacific Feb. 22 at the Bren Events Center.

There were several reasons the UC Irvine senior forward shook off

illness to deliver what was one of his finest moments in his two

years with the Anteaters men’ basketball team.

There were several reasons, but quite simply, the most important

was his desire.

Harris’ drive has intensified this year, his senior season. That

same motivation helped him overcome the rehabilitation of partial

tears of his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments he suffered

June 30, just four months before the season started. That same

motivation is what has helped the Anteaters win 19 games this season,

and earn a No. 2 seed for the Big West Conference Tournament, which

starts Thursday.

UCI will face Cal State Northridge at 6 p.m. at the Anaheim

Convention Center.

“We wouldn’t be where we are right now if it wasn’t for Jordan,”

UCI Coach Pat Douglass said. “Jordan has been consistent. And, what

people don’t really realize is that he’s doing a great job

defensively, too. In that Pacific game, he wouldn’t let our team

quit. He’s focused on leading the team to a win every game.”

Harris scored a season-high 23 points to go with five rebounds and

four steals, leading UCI to what Douglass called a “gutty” 78-73

overtime win over the Tigers. The victory came a bit more sweeter,

Harris said, because Pacific guard Demetrius Jackson followed his

three-point shots with defiant stares and some trash talking,

apparently challenging the Anteaters.

Jackson should have known. All Harris needs is a challenge and

he’ll make sure to conquer it. That was seen when Harris overcame the

knee injury. That was seen when Harris fought off illness to lead UCI

to the win over the Tigers.

The most important challenge for Harris now is leading the

Anteaters to the NCAA Tournament, which is unprecedented at UCI.

“I haven’t really thought about that stuff,” Harris said in

reference to the memories he has while playing at UCI. “When it’s all

over, I’ll think about the memories. But, it’s still not over yet.

What would be special for me, would be getting to the NCAA

Tournament.”

Harris’ passion for winning is not only for his own sake, but for

what he said is now tradition at UCI. When the Anteaters endured a

three-game losing streak, which included their worst home loss in

four years, Harris, and fellow senior Mike Hood, took it upon

themselves to lead the team back to victory, Douglass said.

UCI answered its three-game skid with a season-high seven-game

winning streak, which included victories at Utah State and Cal Poly

San Luis Obispo. Harris, the Daily Pilot College Athlete of the

Month, scored 13 points and helped lead the Anteaters to an emotional

59-58 win over the Aggies in Logan, Utah. Then, he followed that up

with 18 points in a 65-52 victory at Idaho. The performances resulted

in a Big West Conference Player of the Week honor.

“Everyone had to take the responsibility for the losing streak,”

Harris said. “I don’t think any one of us are like Jerry (Green) was,

since he could take the offense on his shoulders. It had to be a

collective effort to get out of the slump.

“We came together and started talking more. It has helped out.

We’re more open with each other. Everyone became more vocal. You

don’t want to let things fall apart. Everyone wanted to do something

about it. We’re used to winning. We’re not losers. We’re winners

here. So everyone kept that mind-set. It’s become the mind-set of the

program. Any other program, you lose some games and it’s no big deal,

but now it’s like we’re not supposed to lose. We’re going out to win

every game.”

The Anteaters’ seven-game winning streak carried UCI to the brink

of capturing its third-straight Big West regular-season title and

brought new life to a team that had been searching for its identity

early in the season. To provide UCI with new confidence Harris had to

elevate his game. He’s been attacking the basket more than ever with

the options of gaining a high-percentage shot, delivering a pass to

an open teammate or drawing a foul.

Harris’ free-throw percentage has improved. He is 80% from the

foul line this season, while last year he was at 63.8%. Harris leads

the Anteaters in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game in Big West

action.

Harris has also provided solid defense. Two days after tweaking

the same knee he injured in the summer, he shut down one of Cal

Poly’s top scorers, Shane Schilling. Harris, who collected his first

double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) of the season, held Schilling

to six points, seven below his Big-West average in UCI’s 68-62 win at

Cal Poly, Feb. 27.

It’s no wonder Douglass values his senior forward so much. Harris

also leads UCI in minutes per game with 33.1 in conference play.

“He’s continued to improve his game throughout the season,”

Douglass said. “He’s playing at his best now in the two years he’s

been here.”

Harris transferred from Colgate University, mainly because he

didn’t think Colgate was headed in the right direction. He came to

UCI because he said the Anteaters were intent on reaching the NCAA

Tournament and breaking new ground for their basketball program. He

wanted to be a part of that history.

“The whole (UCI) coaching staff has really helped me out a lot,”

Harris said. “I understand the game a lot better. It has a great deal

to do with the coaches. I went from a program that wasn’t doing not

so well with a first-time head coach who was not really knowing what

was going on. Then I went to a coach (Douglass) who has been around

for awhile. The coaches know how to coach players, and develop them

into winners. It definitely rubs off. That’s what happened to me.”