Paul Harrison plays big role in success of Crusader basketball
Posted by The Skyliner on February 3rd, 2010Billy Cannada
Staff Writer
As the leading scorer for North Greenville for the past two seasons, redshirt sophomore Paul Harrison still seems uninterested in individual awards.
“I just want the team to succeed,” Harrison said. “I want this team to be one of the best teams to ever play at North Greenville.”
With the help of Harrison, who is currently averaging team highs of 21 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks per game, the North Greenville basketball team is off to one of its best starts in school history with a record of 10-6, including a five-game winning streak in January. Their record may not look all that flashy, but early in the pre-season, they were giving some Division I basketball teams quite a scare. They lost to Presbyterian College by two points, and lost by only 10 points to a Kennesaw State team that beat them by nearly 40 points last season. Harrison says that the game in Kennesaw, Ga., in which he scored a game-high 31 points, was one of the most meaningful games so far in his career.
“The Kennesaw game (this season) was probably the most memorable game I’ve played in at North Greenville,” Harrison said. “We played them really close, and it was a hometown game for me, so all my friends and family got to see me play.”
Harrison is a big reason for the Crusaders’ success this season, and it can be attributed to his work ethic.
“It is a lot of hard work on and off the court,” Harrison said of his success. “You have to get in the gym, and put in a lot of work by yourself.”
Harrison, who was given a redshirt as a freshman to help him develop, says that he never expected to have the kind of success that he is now having as the go-to guy on this Crusader basketball team.
“I thought that I would just end up as the back-up center,” Harrison said. “I thought I could be a role player at best.”
“He is pretty hard to stop inside unless the opponent has a lot of help,” Lister said.
It is obvious that the 6-8 Alpharetta, Ga. product is becoming a little more than a role player for the Crusaders.
“Somehow I just became the leading scorer last year,” said Harrison. “I figured the offense would run through me a little bit this year, because of my scoring last season.”
Head coach Chad Lister said earlier this season he believes the sophomore has matured and provides a spark for this Crusader team.
“Paul has matured a lot, and we want to do a good job of utilizing him in the offense,” Lister said.
Harrison has led his team to some key wins so far this winter, and hopes to continue to do so throughout the remainder of the season.
“We have high goals as a team,” said Harrison. “We want to win regionals and do very well in nationals.”
Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 2