Sam Harris (basketball)

Samuel James Harris[1] (born 3 May 1984) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played 10 seasons in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) and spent two seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). At 221 cm, he is the tallest player ever to play in the NBL.

Sam Harris
Personal information
Born (1984-05-03) 3 May 1984
Launceston, Tasmania
NationalityAustralian
Listed height221 cm (7 ft 3 in)
Listed weight123 kg (271 lb)
Career information
High school
CollegeOld Dominion (2004–2008)
NBA draft2008 / Undrafted
Playing career2001–2013
PositionCentre
Career history
2001–2004Australian Institute of Sport
2008NW Tasmania Thunder
2008–2009Singapore Slingers
2009NW Tasmania Thunder
2009–2010Perth Wildcats
2010East Perth Eagles
2010–2011Adelaide 36ers
2011Bendigo Braves
2012Hobart Chargers
2012–2013NW Tasmania Thunder
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Australia
FIBA U19 World Cup
2003 GreeceTeam

Early life

Harris was born in Launceston, Tasmania, and grew up in the suburb of Newnham.[2][3] He started playing basketball in the late 1990s and attended Launceston College.[4]

In 2001, Harris moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and play for the program's SEABL team.[4] With Lake Ginninderra College[5] at the 2001 National Schools Basketball Tournament in Ballarat, the 17-year-old Harris stood at 219 cm—4 cm taller than the previous student record.[4] He continued on with the AIS in 2002, 2003 and 2004,[6] playing in the SEABL each year.[7]

College career

Between 2004 and 2008, Harris played college basketball for Old Dominion University in the United States.[5] As a freshman, on 27 November 2004, he scored a career-high 14 points.[5] In 126 games for the Monarchs over four seasons, he made 17 starts and averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.[8]

Professional career

Harris returned to Tasmania in May 2008 and played out the SEABL season with the NW Tasmania Thunder.[2]

In late April 2008, Harris signed with the Singapore Slingers for the 2008–09 NBL season.[9][10] However, the team withdrew from the NBL in late July 2008 to pursue competitions closer to home.[11] Harris remained with the squad that was kept together, with the Slingers engaging in a series of touring matches during the 2008–09 season,[12][13] most notably the Singapore Challenge Series that ended in January 2009.[14][15][16] In 11 games during the Challenge Series, Harris averaged 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.[17]

For the 2009 SEABL season, Harris returned to the NW Tasmania Thunder,[12] where he averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds while finishing with 73 blocked shots.[18]

Following the conclusion of the 2009 SEABL season, Harris moved to Perth to train with the Perth Wildcats ahead of the 2009–10 NBL season.[19] He was elevated to the full squad in mid-October as an injury replacement for Paul Rogers,[19][20] and was later replaced in the line-up by American Galen Young in late December.[21] He remained a member of the Wildcats' shadow squad for the rest of the season,[21] and in March 2010, he became an NBL champion when the Wildcats defeated the Wollongong Hawks in the grand final series.[22] He totalled six points and seven rebounds in six games for the Wildcats.[23]

Harris remained in Perth during the 2010 off-season and played for the East Perth Eagles in the SBL.[24][25]

In June 2010, Harris began to dabble in the prospect of switching to Australian rules football, as he was recruited by West Perth Football Club with the plan being to debut in the WAFL with the Falcons in 2011.[26]

Ahead of the 2010–11 NBL season, Harris had been in contention for a full NBL contract with the Wildcats but missed out due to the club's need to satisfy a league rule to sign an under-24 player.[26] As a result, in August 2010, he joined the training squad of the Adelaide 36ers.[27] He played two games for the 36ers in November 2010.[28][29][30]

Following the 2010–11 NBL season, Harris joined the Bendigo Braves for the 2011 SEABL season.[31] He went on to split the 2012 SEABL season with the Hobart Chargers and NW Tasmania Thunder.[32][33] He returned to the Thunder in 2013 for one final season.[34]

National team career

Harris was a member of the Australian under 18 squad in 1999 and 2000, and a member of the Australian under 20 squad in 2001 and 2002.[5] In 2003, he helped Australia win gold at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Greece.[1] In 2005, he played for Australia at the FIBA Under-21 World Championship.[1]

Personal

Harris' father is 196 cm and his mother is 177 cm.[4]

References
  1. "Sam Harris". fiba.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  2. Hope, Chloe (21 April 2008). "Thunder signs a giant Australia's tallest basketballer to play for NW". theadvocate.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019. Harris, a Launceston boy...
  3. Shaw, Rob (28 April 2010). "Radford courts basketball talent". examiner.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019. Perth Wildcat teammates Sam Harris, of Newnham...
  4. Shaw, Rob (5 December 2001). "Sam stands tall in game he loves". thecourier.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. "Sam Harris". odusports.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  6. "Past Athletes". ausport.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  7. "Player statistics for Sam Harris – SEABL 2001". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  8. "Sam Harris". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  9. "Howard....High On and Off The Court". jronfire.blogspot.com. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2019. Last but not least, the Singapore Slingers reveal that Sam Harris is their Australian big man signing.
  10. "Slingers sign Castro". interbasket.net. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2019. ...along with the announcement last week about the recruitment of man-mountain Australian center Sam Harris...
  11. "Singapore Slingers pull out of NBL". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 16 August 2008.
  12. Hope, Chloe (1 December 2008). "Thunder's big coup as Harris re-signs". theadvocate.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  13. Hope, Chloe (24 September 2008). "HPB: Basketball teams head for Hualien for Probation Cup". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 November 2019. ...while the Slingers will field 221cm 24-year-old Australian Sam Harris who signed with the Singapore side this season after a successful career at the Old Dominion University in the US.
  14. "Singapore Slingers vs Darwin Allstars". singaporeslingers.com. 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009.
  15. "Slingers end Challenge Series on a High". singaporeslingers.com. 18 January 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009.
  16. "Players". singaporeslingers.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009.
  17. "Stats". singaporeslingers.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009.
  18. Paolucci, Tanya (20 January 2011). "Big Sam eyes title". bendigoadvertiser.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  19. "Perth Wildcats elevate Harris as replacement for injured veteran". news.com.au. 16 October 2009. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016.
  20. Hope, Shayne (17 October 2009). "Wildcats maul Adelaide in The Jungle". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019. Sam Harris was forced to wait until the dying stages of the first half to make his first appearance on court for the Wildcats after signing on as a replacement for injury-listed veteran Paul Rogers.
  21. Hope, Shayne (16 December 2009). "Cattalini happy to take it easy". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019. Young travelled with the team on last week's road trip and is certain to command more court time than the man he replaced, giant centre Sam Harris, who remains a member of the Wildcats' shadow squad.
  22. "Perth Wildcats claim fifth NBL crown with 96–72 defeat of Wollongong Hawks". FoxSports.com.au. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014.
  23. "Player statistics for Sam Harris – 2009/10". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  24. "Harris signing provides massive options". SportsTG.com. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  25. Hope, Shayne (19 February 2010). "Rogers on the rebound". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  26. Hope, Shayne (23 July 2010). "Ex-Wildcat takes next step with Falcons". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  27. "Adelaide 36ers Welcome Tallest Recruit". glamadelaide.com.au. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  28. "Huge Harris to debut for 36ers". ABC News. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  29. "Sam Harris v. New Zealand, NBL 2010–2011". 11 December 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2015 – via YouTube.
  30. "Player statistics for Sam Harris – 2010/11". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  31. Paolucci, Tanya (7 December 2010). "BRAVES BIG NEW SIGNING". BendigoAdvertiser.com.au. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  32. "SEABL: HOBART CHARGERS RELEASE SAM HARRIS". SEABL.com.au. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013.
  33. Agatyn, Martin (11 April 2012). "Thunder lands a giant". theadvocate.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  34. "SEABL: SAM HARRIS RETURNS FOR THE THUNDER IN 2013". SEABL.com.au. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013.
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