Juke Harris can still picture Rick Barnes sitting inside his high school gym.
He remembers the phone calls and Tennessee’s pursuit of him as a recruit out of Salisbury, North Carolina. He also remembers the feeling when he ultimately chose Wake Forest instead.
A few years later, Harris finally made his way to Rocky Top.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Harris said on Live Ball. “I can see them sitting in my high school gym, coming to watch me work out, and then so many phone calls throughout the high school process.”
Harris arrives at Tennessee looking much different from the player Barnes initially recruited.
The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 6.1 points per game as a freshman at Wake Forest. The following season, he averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds and was named the conference’s Most Improved Player. According to Tennessee, Harris’ 15.3-point jump was the largest scoring increase by any player in the country.
Harris doesn’t describe the breakout as something that suddenly appeared.
He spent his freshman season behind veteran guards Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth, using a smaller role as an opportunity to watch.
“I always had this in me,” Harris said. “I knew I had two high-level guards … in front of me. So when I realized that was going to be their team, why not just take that year to learn?”
Harris started all 35 games as a sophomore and scored 750 points while averaging more than 21 points as a sophomore.
Production that put the NBA within reach.
So, Harris tested the NBA Draft process before deciding to return for another year of college basketball. While he weighed his options, his previous relationship with Tennessee reemerged.
“I built such a great relationship with the whole coaching staff, especially Coach Barnes coming out of high school,” Harris said. “Whenever I knew I wanted to come back to school for another year, it was a no-brainer that Tennessee was a place for me.”
Barnes and assistant coach Bryan Lentz had continued building that relationship even after Harris initially chose Wake Forest.
During the draft process, they traveled to California to meet with Harris before he had even decided whether he would return to college.
“It was super important for them to fly all the way out to Cali,” Harris said. “It wasn’t just about basketball; it was about life, and I feel like we built a relationship outside of basketball.”
Harris had already proven he could score. Now, he wanted a program willing to challenge in different ways.
“I knew I needed to work on defense,” Harris said. “I knew I needed to be coached hard, so I knew this was a place for me.”
Barnes has delivered on that promise.
Harris said Tennessee is challenging him to pick up opposing ballhandlers farther from the basket and become more consistent staying in front of the ball.
When Tennessee holds its open intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, Harris said fans should expect to see a more complete player.
“Everybody knows I can score the ball,” Harris said. “But just showing everybody what I improved on the defensive end, getting my teammates involved, and just reading defenses.”
It’s another stage of a development that has already taken Harris from a freshman waiting his turn to one of the country’s most productive scorers.
And this time, the coach who first saw that potential in his high school gym gets to help determine where Harris goes next.
