Memphis basketball is adding a mid-season transfer for the second straight year.
Former Virginia and Georgetown guard Dante Harris is committed to the Tigers and started practicing with the team this week, multiple sources told Bluff City Media Friday.
Harris is already enrolled at Memphis, according the school’s public records, and will play this season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Harris averaged a measly 2.5 points and 1.4 assists on 28% shooting for the Cavaliers last season, but he had a more prolific stint at Georgetown.
The 6-foot redshirt senior put up 10 points, 3.6 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in two years for the Hoyas (2020-22). He became the Big East Tournament MVP in 2021, and helped guide Georgetown to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 during that season.
Harris then sat out 2022-23 after transferring to Virginia in the middle of that campaign. He averaged 13.7 minutes in 24 games last year, and missed 10 outings with an ankle injury.
Harris initially returned to UVA as a walk-on after entering the transfer portal earlier this year, but the school later removed him from its active roster in September. He hasn’t played a game this season, making him immediately eligible to suit up for the Tigers.
Harris adds much-needed depth to a backcourt featuring PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, who all play at least 31.8 minutes per contest.
He also provides stability to a Memphis bench scoring 17 points and averaging 9.5 minutes per game. Those marks rank No. 309 and No. 354 respectively in Division I.
Memphis added former Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin as a mid-season transfer a year ago. Tomlin performed well statistically, averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21 games.
But the Tigers’ infamous nosedive that ended with them missing the NCAA Tournament began shortly after Tomlin joined the team. Memphis went 9-2 without Tomlin, and 13-8 with him (7-8 in its last 15 games). Memphis coach Penny Hardaway can only hope the same doesn’t happen with Harris now in the fold this year.
“It’s always dangerous, now that I’ve seen it…At the end of the day, more talent can hurt you or help you. Coming in December, it’s always gonna be tough for that young man to try to get in with the guys that have already been here since June. But it’s a chance that you take if you get that opportunity,” Hardaway said on Nov. 19. “I think it’s [about] the fit more so than the actual talent. If we see fit, then we’ll probably be like, ‘This can work for us.’”
Memphis (9-3) hosts No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN2).