West Virginia sophomore Sencire Harris has never let his offense affect the other areas of his game.
The Illinois transfer has taken on a key role with the Mountaineers as a defensive stopper who does all of the little things while also showing the ability to score the basketball on drives to the rim.
Although Harris redshirted last season, during his true freshman year with the Illini he averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game and has almost doubled that production across the board.
Harris is a key member of the rotation for West Virginia at 28.5 minutes per game and is averaging 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in almost 29 minutes per contest.
He has started all 13 games.
But one area he had been struggling with was with the three-ball. Coming into the game against Oklahoma State, Harris was 0-26 from deep after shooting 32-percent during his freshman campaign.
Even during the summer Harris was shooting 35-percent from three so he had shown the ability to make those shots, it just simply wasn’t going down for him.
“I think it’s just one of those things. He got off to a slow start and it started to get in his head a little bit and sometimes you just need one, see one go in in a game,” head coach Darian DeVries said.
That can happen in every aspect of basketball and at times can create a mental block. That affects certain players differently but Harris didn’t let it spill over into every other area of his game. Still, getting that proverbial monkey off his back still wouldn’t hurt matters.
That happened against the Cowboys as Harris hit not only one but two from beyond the arc to finish 2-6 in that department and provide perhaps the spark he needed moving forward.
“You can ask these guys over here in practice. I’m making them in practice, and then come game time I was struggling. But just being able to find back that groove and see one go in, I’m more relaxed,” Harris said.
But one thing is clear, the coaching staff still has all the trust in the world in Harris when he is open and lines it up and feels good about it.
“I want him to keep shooting. Like I told him, I want him to shoot the ones he wants,” DeVries said.
And there is a good reason for that. Not only is it a coach believing in his player, but it makes the Mountaineers more effective on the offensive end. It’s one thing to do it in practice, but to put that on film for opponents to prepare for when they go against West Virginia.
“That’s a big deal for us, you know, when now all of a sudden it’s another guy you’re gonna have to guard, because he can make them and he will make them as we move forward,” DeVries said.
