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It took a basketball player who had played in the NCAA Tournament — three times — to get Tennessee State basketball in March Madness for the first time in 32 years.
Graduate transfer Dante Harris, a former Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist, stood out in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, with TSU's NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, and staged one of his best performances of the season.
Harris, who reached the NCAA Tournament at Georgetown (2020-21 season), Virginia (2023-24) and Memphis (2024-25) with his 3-point shooting, set in motion the 93-67 victory over Morehead State, the most lopsided win in OVC championship history. It earned the Tigers (23-9) their third automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Harris finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"I knew all along we had a great group of guys that could do anything and everything we put our minds to, and I knew we were capable of making it to the NCAA Tournament," Harris said. "I know what it's like to play in March Madness, and I wanted everyone on this team to have that same feeling. It's something you remember for the rest of your life. Everybody on this team deserves that."
TSU EARNS NCAA TOURNAMENT BERTH: Tennessee State basketball wins OVC title, automatic NCAA Tournament berth
Harris' big game came five years after he was the Big East Tournament's Most Outstanding Player when he led Georgetown in a 73-48 rout over Creighton in the conference title win. The Hoyas have not reached the NCAA Tournament since.
When TSU coach Nolan Smith arrived in Nashville after serving as an assistant with the Memphis Tigers during the 2024-25 season, he checked the transfer portal looking for a point guard. He was happy to see that Harris, who was with Smith in Memphis, was still in the portal. Smith made one call, and Harris, with one year of eligibility left, joined him at TSU.
"For everything to go the way we needed it to go, we needed a point guard," Smith said. "We had all the other pieces. Dante knew my offense. He had the same vision that I've always had. With us being together at Memphis, he knew that I liked coach Penny Hardaway's style. He had a feel that we would play up-tempo."
Like Harris, Smith played in multiple NCAA Tournaments, all at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to the 2010 national championship as a junior. As a senior, he was the ACC Player of the Year.
Smith saw a lot of himself as a player in Harris and knew that would benefit TSU.
"If you watched me play, you would think we were coached in the same system," Smith said. "It definitely was a good feel as we put this offense in at Tennessee State. They say the point guard should be an extension of the coach on the court, and that's the way it is for us."
Harris, who played at Lakeway Christian Academy in White Pine, Tennessee, after transferring from Alcoa, surpassed the 1,000-career points mark during the OVC Tournament.
In other games, Harris did not make the type of splash he did in the OVC championship game. In a 68-55 win over UT Martin in the semifinal, Harris had six points and three rebounds.
The Tigers are loaded with good players. They're mostly holdovers from the 2024-25 team, which went 17-16 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Aaron Nkrumah was the OVC Player of the Year, and fellow senior guard Travis Harper II joined him on the All-OVC first team.
But it was Harris who came up big this season when the Tigers needed him the most.
"I made some big shots in the (OVC) championship game; once the first one went in, I felt like it was going to be a good night," he said. "But also, my teammates put me in position to get some great shots off. So credit to them, too. They've done that all season. And I think they knew I was going to have a good night after those first two 3's, and that's something else about us. We've gotten to know each other so well."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSU's Dante Harris enters March Madness with NCAA Tournament experience
Continue reading...
Graduate transfer Dante Harris, a former Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist, stood out in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, with TSU's NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, and staged one of his best performances of the season.
Harris, who reached the NCAA Tournament at Georgetown (2020-21 season), Virginia (2023-24) and Memphis (2024-25) with his 3-point shooting, set in motion the 93-67 victory over Morehead State, the most lopsided win in OVC championship history. It earned the Tigers (23-9) their third automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Harris finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"I knew all along we had a great group of guys that could do anything and everything we put our minds to, and I knew we were capable of making it to the NCAA Tournament," Harris said. "I know what it's like to play in March Madness, and I wanted everyone on this team to have that same feeling. It's something you remember for the rest of your life. Everybody on this team deserves that."
TSU EARNS NCAA TOURNAMENT BERTH: Tennessee State basketball wins OVC title, automatic NCAA Tournament berth
Harris' big game came five years after he was the Big East Tournament's Most Outstanding Player when he led Georgetown in a 73-48 rout over Creighton in the conference title win. The Hoyas have not reached the NCAA Tournament since.
Dante Harris reminds TSU coach Nolan Smith of himself
When TSU coach Nolan Smith arrived in Nashville after serving as an assistant with the Memphis Tigers during the 2024-25 season, he checked the transfer portal looking for a point guard. He was happy to see that Harris, who was with Smith in Memphis, was still in the portal. Smith made one call, and Harris, with one year of eligibility left, joined him at TSU.
"For everything to go the way we needed it to go, we needed a point guard," Smith said. "We had all the other pieces. Dante knew my offense. He had the same vision that I've always had. With us being together at Memphis, he knew that I liked coach Penny Hardaway's style. He had a feel that we would play up-tempo."
Like Harris, Smith played in multiple NCAA Tournaments, all at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to the 2010 national championship as a junior. As a senior, he was the ACC Player of the Year.
Smith saw a lot of himself as a player in Harris and knew that would benefit TSU.
"If you watched me play, you would think we were coached in the same system," Smith said. "It definitely was a good feel as we put this offense in at Tennessee State. They say the point guard should be an extension of the coach on the court, and that's the way it is for us."
Harris, who played at Lakeway Christian Academy in White Pine, Tennessee, after transferring from Alcoa, surpassed the 1,000-career points mark during the OVC Tournament.
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Dante Harris was overshadowed by TSU's other players
In other games, Harris did not make the type of splash he did in the OVC championship game. In a 68-55 win over UT Martin in the semifinal, Harris had six points and three rebounds.
The Tigers are loaded with good players. They're mostly holdovers from the 2024-25 team, which went 17-16 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Aaron Nkrumah was the OVC Player of the Year, and fellow senior guard Travis Harper II joined him on the All-OVC first team.
But it was Harris who came up big this season when the Tigers needed him the most.
"I made some big shots in the (OVC) championship game; once the first one went in, I felt like it was going to be a good night," he said. "But also, my teammates put me in position to get some great shots off. So credit to them, too. They've done that all season. And I think they knew I was going to have a good night after those first two 3's, and that's something else about us. We've gotten to know each other so well."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSU's Dante Harris enters March Madness with NCAA Tournament experience
Continue reading...
