Tasha Harris has never doubted her ability to score.

In high school, the guard averaged 20 points per game in her senior season at St. Michael Academy in the Bronx.

But at Syracuse, the sophomore point guard averaged three points per game her freshman season. Harris has upped her average to 3.4 points a contest this season, but she has not come close to the double-digit points she averaged in her last high school season. Through it all, she maintains confidence in her offensive ability.

So why is there such a drop in offensive output, but no confidence swing? For Harris, the reason is simple: She’s settling into her role as the point guard.

Harris is embracing the role of point guard within head coach Quentin Hillsman’s system, and has thus seen a drop in offensive output. That doesn’t mean she’s not contributing to the Syracuse offense, as she has committed herself to helping the open players on the court get clean looks. Syracuse travels to St. John’s Saturday at 2 p.m.

‘I accepted the role last year, and it was kind of awkward last year,’ Harris said. ‘But this year, I think more of passing first, and I don’t look for my offense at all. In practice I score, but in games I try to get everybody else involved and see how that goes.’

Harris’ primary role within the Syracuse offense is to find the other scorers on the team and help them get their points. Harris’ ability to get the ball to Nicole Michael, Chandrea Jones and Erica Morrow has helped the trio average double-digit points this season for the Orange.

In Big East contests this season, Harris has 53 assists to 31 turnovers, and averages 5.2 assists per game. That average puts her fifth in the conference, and she only trails the conference assist leader, UConn’s Renee Montgomery, by 0.9 assists per game.

Harris admits that she sometimes will give up that open look for the pass. While passing will hurt her statistics, Hillsman has no complaints.

‘I’m happy with her production,’ Hillsman said. ‘But I do think that she can shoot the ball a little more off ball reversal. But the one thing she and I have been talking about, she’s very unselfish, and she knows that she has three other players around her that are double-digit scorers, and she’s just looking for them a lot.’

When she played in high school, though, it was not like this. Harris scored 1,000 points in four years. Teammate Erica Morrow, the starting shooting guard, said the transition from high school to college causes different roles that players have to learn how to embrace.

Morrow said in high school it was easy for players such as herself and Harris to go out and score 30 to 40 points on a given night. As the point guard for Syracuse, though, Harris doesn’t do that anymore. It’s Morrow’s responsibility to provide those points.

But that doesn’t mean Harris can’t hit big shots for the Orange. Hillsman remembers Harris hitting a late shot to give the Orange a lead against Hartford in last season’s NCAA Tournament and a huge 3-pointer she hit against Marquette on Jan. 27 that extended the Orange’s lead to five.

Against South Florida last time out, Harris hit two big 3-point shots to cut USF’s lead from 12 to six with under a minute to go. When the sophomore does take it upon herself to try and make a big shot, she usually delivers.

‘That looked like the old Tasha from high school, but I don’t think in saying that it’s the old Tasha that she’s lost any of it,’ Morrow said. ‘I just think in order for us to win and in order for us to be successful, there’s a certain role we all have to play on this team, and I think that she’s embracing her role.’

Harris still thinks she can be more aggressive in the games and that can lead to points. She said she looks at game tapes afterward and sees that she should have put more maturity on defenses at times.

While her teammates and coach compliment her passing ability, Harris still says she’s averaging too many turnovers per contest, and she can be antsy at times.

Hillsman thinks the points will come as she matures, but for now, Harris is fine watching the others get the glory.

‘I think if I be a little more aggressive I can score, but I accept my role for what it is,’ Harris said. ‘I’m comfortable with Erica, Chandrea and (Michael) scoring, but if I’m open, I’m going to look to be more aggressive.’

mrehalt@syr.edu

Published on February 14, 2009 at 12:00 pm