Feb 16, 2020; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Tyler Harris (1) looks to the bench in the last seconds of play against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at XL Center. UConn defeated Memphis 64-61. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The following is a release from Iowa State Athletic Communications.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State has signed Memphis transfer Tyler Harris as announced Tuesday by head coach Steve Prohm. Harris is a 5-9 junior guard from Memphis, Tennessee.
“We are excited to add Tyler to our basketball family,” Prohm said. “He’s someone we recruited hard out of high school and after transferring from Memphis he’ll bring great experience that can really impact our program.
“I think Tyler is someone that our fans will really like watching because of his energy, toughness and spirit. He can really shoot it, has great quickness and can really push tempo. We look forward to him joining us.”
Harris, the 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee, connected on 138 career 3-pointers and averaged 8.7 points as a sophomore for the Tigers. He averaged 9.9 points over his two-year career in Memphis, shooting 36.9 percent from the field and 33.4 percent behind the arc. Harris also shot 84.4 percent on free throw attempts.
Harris scored a season-high 19 points in a home win against Wichita State in 2020, connecting on five 3-pointers. He reached double figures in six of his final nine games of the season and made 21 3-pointers during the stretch.
Harris has shown a knack for hitting clutch shots in his college career, connecting on a three with 14 seconds remaining at Tulane to get the game to overtime where the Tigers won despite a five-minute scoring drought prior to his basket. Earlier in the season at rival Tennessee, Harris made a go-ahead basket at the buzzer to give the Tigers momentum at the break on their way to an upset of the 19th-ranked Vols.
Harris was a member of The American Athletic Conference’s All-Freshman Team in 2019, scoring in double figures 19 times and setting the school record for 3-pointers by a freshman with 79. He tallied a career-high 25 points and made seven 3-pointers against Charleston in his sixth career game. On the season, Harris finished third on the team with 10.8 points, posting five 20-point games in the first nine of his career.
Harris’ standout prep career was capped by earning the 2018 Class AAA Mr. Basketball Award. He was one of only 12 players in Memphis high school basketball to score more than 2,500 points, tallying 2,647 in his prep career.
His high school career included a 54-point game as a senior against Craigmont and a 48-point effort as a junior against Arlington.
Harris was a four-star recruit, ranked among the top 150 players nationally as a senior.
