Harris playing pivotal role in Arkansas’ success

FAYETTEVILLE - Mike Anderson doesn’t pretend he saw the national leader in assists/turnover ratio when he saw film two seasons ago of Jalen Harris’ freshman year at the University of New Mexico.

But the Arkansas coach did envision a very good Razorbacks starting point guard for 2018-2019. He knew Harris would learn from his mandatory redshirt 2017-2018 season at Arkansas as an undergraduate transfer from another Division 1 school. And he was positive that Harris has the quickness, speed and basketball IQ to be the point guard for Anderson’s system that he calls “the Fastest 40.”

“I just saw a guy that could create for others,” Anderson said before the Razorbacks practiced Monday for Wednesday night’s SEC Network televised game against Georgia Tech at Walton Arena. “He's pretty crafty with the basketball. He's quick and he can get where he wants to go and of course now you're playing in an open-court setting. He does a lot of damage in the open court because he doesn't over-dribble and he doesn't play with the basketball. So I think that's good.”

How about great? Because while starting all games for the 7-2 Razorbacks and leading them in minutes played with 277, Harris’ 10 assists against zero turnovers in Arkansas’ 79-67 victory over Texas-San Antonio last Saturday night in North Little Rock elevated him to No. 1 in assists/turnover ratio.

Harris has dished 68 of Arkansas’ total 168 assists and committed but nine turnovers.

“He’s taking care of it,” Anderson said.

Not just taking care of it, but doing something with it. He’s most instrumental feeding inside to the team’s leading scorer, 6-11 sophomore center Daniel Gafford of El Dorado averaging 17.9 points, or kicking it outside to 3-point shooting guards Isaiah Joe, 16.9 scoring average with 38-of-77 threes, and Mason Jones, 13.4 average with 21-of-49 threes.

All three are threats.

Against UTSA in North Little Rock, freshman reserve forward Reggie Chaney, 11 points, and freshman reserve guard Desi Sills were threats, too. They threatened in part because Harris spotted where they positioned to threaten.

“He can see,” Anderson said. “When you have a guy who can see and make good decisions, he can see he's got pretty good options. Isaiah Joe is knocking shots down, Daniel is finishing out there and he's getting Reggie involved. He's getting everybody involved.”

That’s what All-American point guard Lee Mayberry did helping Todd Day become the Razorbacks’ all-time leading scorer playing on those great 1988-89 through 1991-92 Arkansas teams that Nolan Richardson coached and Anderson assisted.

“I think about Lee Mayberry,” Anderson said. “He was a guy who could probably play 10-12 games and not have one turnover, and this guy is doing some of those things and valuing the basketball. That's a good thing.”

What’s it mean to Harris, leading the nation in the ratio all point guards covet?

“It means a lot,” Harris said Monday. “Knowing that I’m finding my guys but taking care of it as well. It means a lot knowing the coach has that much trust in me to have the ball in my hands that much. So it’s real big. Especially coming off my freshman year at New Mexico, not really knowing what I was going to get myself into coming here. So it’s real big.”

And even bigger to his teammates.

“Honestly, I’ve never played with a point guard like Jalen,” Chaney said Monday. “I just like the way he dishes off the ball. He’s fast and he’s got a real high IQ.”

Viewing game film of Chaney versus UTSA only enhanced Anderson’s initial impression that the 6-8 freshman forward deserved the accolades that the coach lavished immediately after the game.

Chaney hit 5-of-7 from the field and 1-for-2 from the line for 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, and set career highs four assists, three shot-blocks and four steals and sometimes switched off guarding UTSA’s forwards effectively to guard UTSA high-scoring guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.

“I mean he was everywhere,” Anderson said Monday. “Defensively, he was touching balls. He was the energizer in that game. He did a lot of good things for us.

“He was the finisher off guys’ penetration and getting inside. He was getting offensive rebounds. He was everywhere on the floor, guarding guards, guarding forwards, guarding the center. And he was really engaged running the floor. We’ve got to get more effort like that from other guys as well.”

MARTIN HONORED

Arkansas sophomore infielder Casey Martin of Lonoke became the first off the Razorbacks 2018 national runner-up College World Series baseball team to be preseason honored for 2019.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper named Martin, a third baseman in 2018 who may open at shortstop or second base in 2019, as preseason Third-Team All-American.

Martin, a right-handed hitter, was Second-Team All-SEC in 2018 with a .345 batting average, tops for all SEC freshmen, while hitting 13 home runs with 49 RBIs.

Martin’s 87 hits set a Razorbacks freshman record and made the All-College World Series team hitting .357 in Arkansas’ six CWS games at Omaha.

The Razorbacks open their season hosting Eastern Illinois in a three-game series Feb. 15-17 at Baum Stadium.

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