UNC’s Anthony Harris done for season. Hubert Davis ‘disappointed’ for the guard, team
Redshirt sophomore Anthony Harris will not play the remainder of the season, North Carolina announced Friday.
Harris, a 6-foot-4 guard from Woodbridge, Va., appeared in 14 games for the Tar Heels as a reserve and averaged 2.6 points per game this season.
The school did not provide a reason in announcing Harris would be unavailable to play in games, but in the news release said he will continue to practice and participate in other team activities.
“Anthony has worked hard to become a valuable contributor to our team,” Carolina coach Hubert Davis said in an official statement. “We are disappointed for Anthony and our team, but he will continue to contribute and we know he will work hard so he can play for us again next season.”
Harris, who was announced as unavailable ahead of the Heels’ last two games against Georgia Tech and Miami, only played about 12 minutes per game. But his absence could mean more playing time for freshmen D’Marco Dunn and Dontrez Styles or sophomore Puff Johnson, who has been injured most of the season.
Davis said during his Friday video conference with the media that wasn’t sure how it would impact the rotation just yet.
“It could be a game-to-game feel, that being said, DeMarco and Dontrez, Puff and Justin (McKoy) have the opportunity to step up and play more minutes,” Davis said. “The way that they practiced and the way they have prepared, I feel very confident of them being able to play well out there on the floor.”
Harris sat out the first eight games of his UNC career the 2019-20 season while completing rehabilitation on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee from high school. After appearing in five games, he tore the ACL in his right knee and missed the rest of the season.
His right knee injury caused him to miss the first 12 games of the 2020-21 season. But since joining the lineup at Florida State on Jan. 16, he’s played in all but two games since then.
Harris was primarily known as a defensive specialist. He helped defend Georgia Tech guard Michael DeVoe, who at the time led the nation in scoring, 10 points below his average in the Heels 79-62 win on Dec. 5.
“I do want to say, I love Ant and I love coaching him,” Davis said. “I love being around him every day. I love him being a part of this team and a part of this program and a part of this university.”
