Special to the Leader
It's hard to extrapolate an athlete's progress and confidence from one moment or particular play in a given game, but on Tuesday night one stood out for Michael Harris.
The 6-foot-3 forward for Westwood received a pass deep in the lane in the third quarter and extended his left arm to shoot a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era hook shot. The shot fell through the basket and it was a simple, unremarkable play in a game in which Westwood lost 63-51 to McNeil, but it revealed so much more about Harris' progress.
Last season, the all-arms-and-legs Harris didn't get a sniff of varsity action, while playing on the junior varsity squad. This year he has earned a starter's role after beginning the season on the bench.
"I feel like I've added a lot to my game from last year to my game," he said, after scoring 10 points in the loss. "I can shoot now. I can shoot jumpers and do a lot of different things now. I've made myself a better player."
The work was done in the summer where he spent countless hours working on all facets of a game.
The work hasn't stopped once the season began for the Warriors however, as Harris now wakes up at 7 a.m. and joins his team for shooting practice before classes begin for the day.
"I like to be in the gym. I like to be there early and work hard," he adds.
The hard work hasn't gone unnoticed by his coach.
"He's come a long way. He's a great kid," Westwood coach Brad Hastings said. "He's a junior, and has a lot of things he needs to improve at, but if he improves like he did from this year to last year he's going to be a really good player."
The improvement and offensive output need to happen soon for the Warriors who are 0-3 in district contests.
"We're a good team, I really do think that," Harris said. "I worked on that hook shot all off-season and now I feel like if I get the ball inside I can score on anybody. I still am working on my game. I want to be able to make more shots."
Westwood is looking for more of those types of shots to fall, too.
The 6-foot-3 forward for Westwood received a pass deep in the lane in the third quarter and extended his left arm to shoot a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era hook shot. The shot fell through the basket and it was a simple, unremarkable play in a game in which Westwood lost 63-51 to McNeil, but it revealed so much more about Harris' progress.
Last season, the all-arms-and-legs Harris didn't get a sniff of varsity action, while playing on the junior varsity squad. This year he has earned a starter's role after beginning the season on the bench.
"I feel like I've added a lot to my game from last year to my game," he said, after scoring 10 points in the loss. "I can shoot now. I can shoot jumpers and do a lot of different things now. I've made myself a better player."
The work was done in the summer where he spent countless hours working on all facets of a game.
The work hasn't stopped once the season began for the Warriors however, as Harris now wakes up at 7 a.m. and joins his team for shooting practice before classes begin for the day.
"I like to be in the gym. I like to be there early and work hard," he adds.
The hard work hasn't gone unnoticed by his coach.
"He's come a long way. He's a great kid," Westwood coach Brad Hastings said. "He's a junior, and has a lot of things he needs to improve at, but if he improves like he did from this year to last year he's going to be a really good player."
The improvement and offensive output need to happen soon for the Warriors who are 0-3 in district contests.
"We're a good team, I really do think that," Harris said. "I worked on that hook shot all off-season and now I feel like if I get the ball inside I can score on anybody. I still am working on my game. I want to be able to make more shots."
Westwood is looking for more of those types of shots to fall, too.
Published in the Round Rock Leader on Jan. 12, 2011.
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