MIKE Harris is back in the country after three years, but this time, with a different team in Magnolia, and he likes what lies ahead to the squad that is coming off a runner-up finish in the previous conference.
The 38-year-old Harris was back to his usual form, finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds in Magnolia’s 114-87 win over Terrafirma.
Mike Harris: Shrugging off hesitations
Harris admitted he also had second thoughts of coming back to Manila because of the pandemic, but decided to go because of the team’s priority to ensure the safety of the players.
“It took some time, me and my wife. The good thing is I don’t go nowhere. I stay inside in a bubble-type situation. I like that. It feels a lot safer. I stay in the room. I order food to come to the room so I don’t want to jeopardize and I think our teammates take it serious. We haven’t had any positive cases. Focusing on that, it’s just good to play basketball. Besides, every country is struggling with COVID,” said Harris.
The Rice product also came because of the competitiveness of the league which he already experienced back in 2018 when he led Alaska to the finals of the Governors’ Cup but lost to Magnolia, the same team he’s playing for.
“It’s good to be here. I like the Philippines basketball league. It’s competitive. It’s the first game. Don’t get too high. Don’t get too low. We really haven’t done nothing. It’s just good to play against other people and just playing ourselves,” said Harris.
Harris likes the potential of the squad that is surrounded with a group of guys that emphasizes on defense.
“They are strong. Everybody competes in practice. Really tough defensive team. They take pride in their defense. I like it. I like how competitive they are in practice every day. I like that,” said Harris.
As for his former team, Harris said he likes the progress of the Aces over the years, and sees them as a contender in the ongoing conference.
“I don’t really have anything bad to say about Alaska. They treated me well. Everything was good. They went in another way under coach Jeff’s system. They are starting to get integrated. They look really well. It’s good to see guys that I was there with starting to emerge. Jeron is playing well. K-Racs is doing good so to see those guys starting to play a lot better, that’s good. They have a solid foundation over there. The import is doing well. It’s always good to play against old teams and compete. They are doing really, really well right now. I wish them the best.”
“Seen some of the guys today, Ping (Exciminiano) and a couple of other guys. Pretty much it looks like a lot of the other guys are spread out all over the league now. Every team is different which is good,” said Harris.
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