Following a standout career at UMass and an 11-year professional career overseas, Ricky Harris is coming home. The 2010 Massachusetts alum is returning to Amherst as the Director of Player Personnel/Assistant to the Head Coach, contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, head coach Matt McCall announced on Friday.
“When you talk about wanting to get guys who want to be here, Ricky Harris embodies that,” McCall said. “He was one of the best guards to ever play at UMass and just announced his retirement after a phenomenal professional career. He was contacting me as soon as he made his decision to stop playing and wanted to come to UMass.
“He brings positivity, energy and a want to be here, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him. He has a passion and a love for this university, and he will be a tremendous resource for our players.”
Harris was a four-year letterwinner with the Minutemen from 2006 to 2010, helping the program to a 73-58 record during his career including a pair of NIT appearances during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“I’m very excited to be returning to my alma mater and I am thankful to Coach Matt McCall and Ryan Bamford for this tremendous opportunity,” Harris said. “I had an incredible experience at UMass as a student-athlete, and I’m looking forward to being back on campus helping our players and our program succeed. We have a very talented roster this season, and I can’t wait to be back in Amherst as our team begins to build towards our goals in 2021-22.”
The Baltimore, Md. native played in 129 career games, including 93 starts, and is third all-time at Massachusetts in scoring with 1960 points trailing only Jim McCoy and Monty Mack. Harris lit it up from deep during his career, shooting nearly 35% (276-of-795) from beyond the arc in four seasons, and still owns school records for most three attempted in a game (19 on Mar. 3, 2010), most threes made in a season (104 in 2007-08), most threes attempted in a season (278 in 2007-08), and is tied for the school record for most threes made in a game (8 on Mar. 3, 2010).
Harris is also seventh all-time at UMass in career field goals made (643), third in three-point field goals made (276), fifth in steals (148) and tied for ninth in games played (129).
After coming off the bench during his freshman season in 2007-08, Harris burst on to the scene during his sophomore campaign in 2008-09, averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting 37% from three en route to Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player honors. He was named to the NIT All-Tournament Team after leading Massachusetts to the championship game, averaging 20.4 points in five NIT games including 27 points in NIT Championship game against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden. His 104 made threes that season were, at the time, tied for best season in UMass history with Carmelo Travieso.
Following a coaching change entering the 2008-09 season, Harris continued to put up numbers as a junior. He once again averaged better than 18 points per game and shot nearly 39% from beyond the arc (87-of-225), and was named to the Atlantic 10 Third Team. Harris led the team in scoring 18 times during the 2008-09 campaign, reaching double-figures in 28-of-30 games, and became the 40thplayer in team history to reach 1000 career points.
Harris went out with a bang during his senior season, averaging 19.8 points per game to conclude his career as the Atlantic 10 active leading scorer. Harris passed the likes of Marcus Camby, Julius Erving and Lou Roe on UMass’ all-time scoring list that season, and was again named to the Atlantic 10 Third Team. He capped his Mullins Center career by hitting a game-winning three with 3.5 seconds left to send UMass to the A-10 Tournament as part of scoring game-high 28 points against Rhode Island on Senior Day.
Following his collegiate career, Harris played 11 seasons of professional ball overseas in Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Argentina.
Ricky Harris ’10 Joins UMass Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff
