Rice became a member of Conference USA in the summer of 2005 after having some serious success in the WAC: 17 wins in 2003, 22 wins in 2004, and 19 wins in 2005. The main factor during that winning era was Michael Harris, who remains the greatest scorer/rebounder/field goal shooter in school history. He later made the NBA playoffs in 2008 and was named MVP of the D-League in 2010. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Michael about playing pro basketball and making the NBA playoffs. Today is Michael’s 38th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You grew up in Texas: what made you choose Rice? Coming out of high school I had 3 schools that were interested in me: Southwest Texas State, Rice, and a partial scholarship from Baylor. I did not want my grandmother to have to pay for me to go to school and Rice had the better academic setting for the future. I wanted to make my mother/grandmother proud.
In the 2003 WAC tourney Carl English scored 15 PTS including a pair of FTs with 4.9 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win by Hawaii: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career, and how sweet was it to beat them by 2 PTS in the tourney the following year? It ranks really high but is behind our loss to Louisiana Tech during my senior year, which might have helped us get an at-large bid. I cramped out in the final minutes of a close game and we lost to Paul Millsap: he and Andrew Bogut always finished ahead of me in the rebounding rankings. I could not move and they had to carry me off the court.
You graduated with 2014 PTS/1111 REB: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? Rebounding was always my top priority/biggest focus: I felt I could do that with my eyes closed. The scoring credit goes to my teammates. I had a really soft touch around the basket so I would work hard to fight for position and then use my angles/athleticism. I was very explosive and could finish around the basket. I modeled my game after Tim Duncan by using the glass a lot.
You remain the all-time leading scorer/rebounder in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were, and do you think that anyone will ever break your records? It is a definite possibility: Morris Almond (1825 PTS) came close but we were a really good team so he did not have a chance to get the points. Records are made to be broken so I think that someone will break them someday. I did not think about records: I was just a competitor and my teammates held me accountable. I gave it my all and we motivated each other, which helped me continue to succeed throughout my career.
In 2010 with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers you were named D-League MVP and a few years later you were named MVP/Finals MVP with Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? Those are accolades that I attribute to my teammates. I was not a PG who brought the ball up the court: they put me in situations where I could be successful. The titles are the most important things: when the expectation is there for you to perform you have to be ready every night, which is the part that I love.
You have played pro basketball in several countries for almost 15 years: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? Outside of the NBA, the only difference between overseas vs. the G League is the pay. I loved traveling but after my wife and I had 3 babies it made travel a little more difficult. I played mostly in China: there is a lot more pressure on the “imports” because they are expected to contribute every night. I have been fortunate to be on teams where I can help the guys around me develop: it seemed like a player-coach experience. It is really competitive/physical in Europe and Puerto Rico: the leagues in the US have gone away from that. I understand the entertainment part but it limits guys as to how they can guard their opponent: it is a big issue that players are constantly talking about.
You played 54 games during your NBA career: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? My 1st game was after coming back to China. I was working out with some guys from Rice when my agent called to say that Houston GM Daryl Morey had offered me a 10-day contract. I learned all of the plays but did not think that I would take the court that 1st night. When they put me into the game in the 1st quarter I was a little bit hesitant to play with stars like Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming. Tracy came over to me and said, “When I pass you the ball you better shoot it, otherwise I will not pass it to you again!”
You made the playoffs with Houston in 2008 but lost to Utah in 6 games: where does your former teammate McGrady rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? I think that he deserved to make the Hall of Fame. In Game 5 he scored 29 PTS while doing some things that only a handful of other guys could do (like Kobe/Jordan/LeBron). I saw glimpses of greatness but his injuries did not allow him to propel above the other greats. He played multiple positions and his ability to pass was 1 of the best for a guy his size. I would put him in the top-20 small forwards of all-time.
In 2016 you scored 45 PTS against your former team the Shanghai Sharks who were owned by your former Houston teammate Yao Ming: what was it like to play with a guy who is 7’6”, and could you have ever imagined a decade later that you would be playing in a league for which he was the chairman? No! If Yao had not been hurt I think that he had the potential to be 1 of the top-15 big men of all-time. He could shoot from mid-range and control the paint on defense. I spoke to him 1 day and he asked me if I would ever consider playing in China and I said yes…but I never expected to go to a team that he owned. People asked me if he differed as an owner and a player and I tell them that he was the exact same person…just a little more famous.
What do you hope to do after retiring? I wanted my youngest son to see me play and understand what is going on. I am no dummy so if someone was willing to cut me a check for a couple of years after that then I might not say no! It was tough to be away from my wife/kids but they understand why I did it. I definitely want to be a coach and would love to help Rice get to the NCAA tourney. We fell 1 game short and it really hurt us so that always stayed in the back of my mind. I would love to work with those guys, recruit some hard workers, and get the program going in the right direction. To see our baseball team win the College World Series in 2003 was amazing and it was something I wanted for our basketball team.