25 Şubat 2008 Pazartesi

Devin Harris

Devin Harris (born February 27, 1983 in Wauwatosa,
Wisconsin) is an American basketball player for
the Dallas Mavericks. Harris attended the
University of Wisconsin and gained national
notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.

==Early Life==
Devin Harris grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a
first ring suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is
the child to Terry and Julie Harris and has a
brother named Bruce and a sister named Tanisha.
Throughout high school, Harris was a superior
athlete and took up basketball and volleyball. He
only played volleyball for one season, a season in
which he gained all-conference honors, before he
set that aside to focus on basketball. Harris was
nagged by injuries after his sophomore year of
high school and was unable to participate in the
summer basketball camps and tournaments that are
ever important in the recruiting process. Thus,
Harris flew somewhat under the radar and finally
accepted an offer to play for Dick Bennett at the
University of Wisconsin. Bennett retired in the
midst of the upcoming season and by the time
Harris arrived on campus, Bo Ryan was the head
coach.

==Playing Career==
In Harris' freshman season, the 2001-2002 season,
Harris was already a starter on a relatively
unheralded team. The Badgers came into the season
being predicted to finish as low as ninth in the
Big Ten Conference (which has eleven teams). On a
team lead by seniors Charlie Wills and Travon
Davis, the Badgers won an unexpected Big Ten
Championship (shared with three other teams:
Indiana University, University of Illinois, and
Michigan State University).

Harris' sophomore season was his "breakout" year.
Harris, along with senior Kirk Penney and fellow
sophomore Mike Wilkinson, led the Badgers to their
second consecutive Big Ten Championship. In the
NCAA Tournament, the Badgers reached the "Sweet
16". In the "Sweet 16" game against the University
of Kentucky, Harris showed a national audience his
skill although the team lost.

The 2003-2004 season had Harris establishing
himself as one of the top players in the nation.
Harris was the leader on the team and was
considered a "coach on the floor" by Bo Ryan. He
received Big Ten Player of the Year and was named
a Second Team All-American. Harris decided to
leave college early after his junior year to play
in the NBA.

Harris was selected fifth overall by the
Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to the
Dallas Mavericks in a deal in which the Wizards
obtained Antawn Jamison and the Mavericks obtained
Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and Christian Laettner.
In Harris' rookie season, he averaged 5.7 ppg and
2.2 apg. He ranked 2nd in the NBA in Steals per 48
Minutes at 3.15 (behind only Larry Hughes). In
November 2004, he was named the got milk? Rookie
of the Month. Although he started for much of the
early portion of the season, his playing time
dwindled as the season progressed. This could be
due to the coaching uncertainties and changes of
the Mavericks moving from Don Nelson to Avery
Johnson or Harris' need to add strength to compete
more efficiently at the NBA level.

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