Memphis Basketball: Former Virginia guard Dante Harris adds to backcourt depth

It’s been a wild past few months for Memphis Basketball in terms of roster building. They’ve lost some players, including Tyreek Smith, right before the season while also looking to fill some open roster spots. And right before the start of the next semester, the Tigers landed one of the best players available.

Dante Harris is a 6’0 guard from Washington D.C. who started his first two college years at Georgetown, averaging around 10 ppg and 3.5 apg. He made the decision to eventually transfer to Virginia midseason, producing 2.5 ppg and 1.4 apg in 14 mpg off the bench. After that, Harris entered the portal again but hasn’t had a new home yet.

Memphis has one of the best backcourts in the country this season, led by PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter. They’re also two of the top players in the nation in terms of minutes played, going for 37 and 35 mpg, respectively. The only other ball-handler on the roster is George Mason transfer Baraka Okojie, who plays around 12 mpg off the bench and is more of a defender than a scoring threat. 

Plus, this isn’t an overly deep team throughout its lineup outside of the center position, with Moussa Cisse and Dain Dainja sharing the 40 minutes there. Nick Jourdain and PJ Carter play at the four-spot, while Colby Rogers is the main wing, with a guard usually getting the minutes when he’s not on the court.

Having Harris in the fold will take some pressure off of Hunter and Haggerty, and they can play off-ball or give Memphis some potent lineups with three ball-handlers. We’ll see what kind of impact Harris will have in the next two months, but with an extra spot available, the Tigers found a capable piece this late in the juncture.