Coach Danny Sprinkle has done an impressive job building up the Washington Huskies roster since his arrival from Utah State in late March. Headlined by Mountain West Player of the Year Great Osobor, the Huskies should be competitive in the Big Ten, but that will take much more than just their top transfer. One of their top acquisitions, Portland forward Tyler Harris, who should make a big impact, seems to have flown under the radar.
Harris is an intriguing piece who fits Sprinkle’s system and could continue to develop at a rapid pace in his offense.
“Tyler had an impressive freshman season at Portland,” Sprinkle said after he signed. “His unique size gives him the ability to do things that most guards can’t. Our staff was most impressed with his rebounding and shot-making ability. He is a great talent to have on our team.”
During his one year with the Pilots, the 6-foot-8, 190-pound Harris averaged 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from three-point range. Thanks to his strong work ethic, Harris, who wasn’t known as a three-point shooter in high school, made remarkable strides in that area of his game once he got to Portland.
“I came here actually not really shooting threes at all,” he told the Portland Tribune’s Isaac Streeter in 2023. “I was mostly just rim-running, mid-range and floaters. I realized I needed to expand my game … I remember in the summer, I was on a shooting machine almost every day (and) getting like 500 shots up.”
If he can stay healthy after missing 10 games with an ankle injury in his only year with the Pilots, Harris could make a big impact at both ends of the floor.
His length and athleticism have helped make him a very good defender and when combined with his ability to rebound and improvements as a shooter, he could turn into an exciting weapon for the Huskies this season. [lawrence-related id=3168]