WINS were few and far in between for Andrew Harris during his collegiate days at University of the Philippines.
Standing at 6-foot-4, the Fil-Am cager easily fits the bill of someone who could dominate in basketball, yet had to endure two winless seasons in his UAAP playing career with the Fighting Maroons.
Fate, however, drew him outside of the confines of the hardcourt.
Two years removed from his cage career, Harris is relishing a fresh start in a new sport as he serves as the team captain of the Philippine beach handball team this 30th Southeast Asian Games.
"I’m grateful to represent the country. I got to represent the Philippines back in UP when we competed in the BLIA Cup and it’s not something I’m new to, but it’s a great honor to be given a chance to represent the country," he said.
How did Harris, a wide-bodied banger who can easily get himself drafted in the PBA for his sheer size end up playing handball?
It turned out, it just took a lot of prodding.
"Our coach in handball is also a faculty member in UP here," Harris said of Joanna Franquelli, who saw Harris has a future in the sport and convinced him to make the switch.
"The funny thing is she’s recruiting me since 2017. At first, I told her no 'cause I was still playing for UP at the time. I was also playing D-League. But she e-mailed me out of nowhere and I said I’ll give it a try.
Eventually, Harris said yes since, "I’m done playing basketball, I’m done with my masters, so I’ll give it a try."
Harris' size comes in handy in beach handball, a game that is a cross between basketball and football and is played in the sands. That's why it wasn't really much of a surprise that the transition came in easy for him.
"Adjustment-wise, there’s some things in basketball that can be translated into handball like chemistry and working with your teammates," he said. "As the captain, I was able to bring my leadership skills to the team cause we’re all relatively young. Passing, techniques, and the idea to work with your teammates, that’s a big thing."
It wasn't long before Harris eventually found his footing in handball and was able to contribute in the Philippines' eighth-place finish in the 2019 Asian Beach Handball Championship this past June in China.
"Even when I’m relatively new, I was able to contribute to our first international tournament in China. We played against Vietnam and Indonesia and I was able to perform well and I was hoping I can double the output," he said.
Somehow, beach handball became Harris' calling. But does that it mean that he's ready to leave his first love?
Harris remains a part of the coaching staff of the UP men's basketball team.
"I love both. I’m still coaching with the UP men’s team, so I still get to have that love for basketball," he said. "Right now, I’m really enjoying handball. So probably, they're on an equal level."
Now, after an unlikely path that drew him to the sport, the 26-year-old is aiming to deliver a podium finish, if not the gold for the Philippines. The national beach handball team has trained hard in Europe in preparation for the biennial games.
"I think we’ll do pretty good. I would love to get gold," said Harris ahead of the competitions that will get going on Saturday at Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
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