CCU

Men's Basketball's Harris Named to Preseason All-Big South Team by Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook

       

Men's Basketball's Harris Named to Preseason All-Big South Team by Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook

CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina University redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) was named to the All-Big South Preseason Team by the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook, it was announced Sept. 24. The magazine also forecasted the Chanticleers to finish in fifth place in the Big South Conference standings.   Harris, a 6-5 forward, returns to the Chant lineup after missing most of last season with a thumb injury. Harris averaged 7.9 points and 2.8 assists in the eight games he played for Coastal Carolina. This included a 14-point, 14-rebound performance against Presbyterian Dec. 7 and a 16-point, 10-rebound night at Houston Nov. 24. The redshirt junior had 13 blocked shots in eight games and now has 74 in his career, which is tied for fourth in Coastal Carolina history.   Harris has scored 476 points as a Chanticleer and has a 6.8 career rebounding average, good for 10th in Coastal Carolina history. He has shot 58.9 percent from the field and has 95 steals in his career.   Harris was joined by Liberty’s Anthony Smith, Charleston Southern’s Omar Carter, Gardner-Webb’s Grayson Flittner and Radford’s Joey Lynch-Floor on Blue Ribbon’s All-Conference Team. The magazine picked Smith as the Player of the Year, with Liberty’s Seth Curry earning Preseason Newcomer of the Year honors.   Blue Ribbon picked Winthrop to win the league, followed by Radford, Liberty and Gardner-Webb. The Chanticleers were next on the slate, with High Point, Charleston Southern, VMI and UNC Asheville rounding out the conference ledger.

The Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook also will feature a preview of the Chanticleers along with all Division I basketball teams.   Coastal Carolina will open the 2008-09 campaign Saturday, Nov. 15 when it hosts Coker in a 7 p.m., tip off at Kimbel Arena.