Buckley: Dante Harris had a point. Message delivered. That’s no fish tale.
University of Memphis guard Dante Harris (5) dives for a loose ball against ECU guard RJ Felton (3) during a Jan. 11, 2025 game. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Tim Buckley
Tim is a veteran sportswriter who graduated from CBHS in Memphis and the University of Missouri. He previously covered LSU sports in Baton Rouge, and the University of Louisiana football and basketball for The Daily Advertiser/USA TODAY Network in Lafayette, the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, and West Texas State basketball for the Amarillo Globe News in Texas.
When Dante Harris was considering coming to Memphis, Tigers coach Penny Hardaway did not guarantee him a certain number of minutes.
Nor did he undersell the impact Harris might have.
Rather, Hardaway merely offered the midseason transfer from Virginia an undefined role.
“Because we already had a bunch of wins without him, and the guys (had) already done a phenomenal job,” said Hardaway, whose now 20-4 Tigers were 11-3 when Harris played his first game for Memphis.
For Harris, the match made sense.
“I knew that they (are) an up-tempo team — real fast-paced, get out in transition and run — but still, you know, structured,” he said. “And I just feel like it was a good opportunity for me.”
So as Hardaway spoke, Harris listened. And he heard the message.
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