Gicarri Harris Looks More Confident, Plays Key Role in Purdue's Win Over N.C. State
Trey Kaufman-Renn was the team's leading scorer. Cam Heide had multiple plays worthy of the highlight reel. Braden Smith did his thing. When watching No. 13 Purdue's 71-61 win over North Carolina State in the first game of the Rady Children's Invitational on Thursday, there were plenty of names who could've been considered the "Player of the Game."
Perhaps the unsung hero, though, was freshman Gicarri Harris, who came off the bench and had his best performance since slipping on a Purdue jersey.
Harris ended Thursday's game with a career-high eight points and four rebounds. He also dished out three assists and came up with one block and a steal on the defensive end. In simple terms, he made a lot of winning plays to help Purdue reach the championship game of the Rady Children's Invitational on Friday.
GICARRI HARRIS! 😮💨 What a finish on the bucket! @Gicarri1 x @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/6jvuxjcoyn
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 28, 2024
Harris was impressive during the offseason, earning a spot in Purdue's starting rotation to begin the year. He started in each of the Boilermakers' first five games.
After a 76-58 loss to Marquette, coach Matt Painter decided to make a change. He rolled out a "small ball" lineup, inserting Heide and Myles Colvin into the starting rotation. As a result, Harris and center Will Berg were asked to come in off the bench.
Sometimes, that can be a difficult pill to swallow for a young player — especially a four-star talent like Harris. Instead of pouting, though, the freshman guard has found ways to help Purdue win.
"Yeah, he's a winner," Painter said of Harris' attitude of the lineup change following Purdue's win over Marshall last week. "He led his team to a state title last year and sometimes he had to score a lot, sometimes he had to playmake, sometimes a little bit of both. He's great. He was fine with it."
Thursday's game against N.C. State was the most comfortable Harris has looked this season. He played with confidence, attacking the rim, chasing down rebounds and taking open shots. At times, he helped Smith break the Wolfpack's full-court pressure to avoid careless turnovers.
Harris didn't have the best stat line on Thursday, but it's not always about scoring the most points or collecting the highest number of rebounds. Purdue values players who make winning play — even if those things don't show up in the stat book.
Harris made a lot of those plays on Thursday. He's starting to look like someone who can be a legitimate threat for the Boilermakers coming off the bench. And he can do it on both ends of the court.
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COMPLETE RADY INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE: The Rady Children's Invitational takes place this week and features Purdue, North Carolina State, BYU and Ole Miss. Here's the schedule and other information for the event. CLICK HERE
PURDUE IN ESPN'S BRACKETOLOGY: Purdue is listed as a No. 3 seed in the latest March Madness Bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi. The Boilermakers are 5-1 on the season. CLICK HERE
