Since Tom Crean was hired as the Georgia basketball coach, he has been doing everything he can to get to know the school — some of that out of necessity. His family isn’t with him yet, and he hasn’t bought a house, so he’s living out of the Georgia conference center, about a hundred steps from his office at the Georgia basketball facility.
So he has been recruiting, leading offseason workouts with his new team — 12 as of Tuesday — and making media appearances.
It has been a whirlwind, and with some available time before a workout Tuesday, Crean talked about the status of Jordan Harris, the sophomore guard who was suspended the latter part of the season. Harris is participating in workouts and appears on track to return next season.
“He’s on the team, and it’s like everything else like I told the team at the very beginning: No assumptions,” Crean said. “There’s going to be no judgments. At the end of the day, things that have been done in the past, it’s not like you can wipe them out. It’s not like you can take things and say, That didn’t happen. But the bottom line is I’m not trying to judge that. I’m trying to evaluate. And I’m evaluating on a consistent, daily basis.”
Harris was suspended twice last season, missing the team’s exhibition games and first two games for an undisclosed reason. He then returned and averaged 15.8 minutes per game off the bench, before being suspended again on Feb. 3. He never returned to practice or games the rest of the season.
It’s not clear whether it was a school issue or if it’s all up to Crean.
“That’s a good question. I guess I don’t know. I know it was no issue for me to bring him back, to put him back on the team. That’s a good question, because I don’t know if there was anything with competition or anything like that. I just knew that he hadn’t been a part of the team. But we’re definitely checking on things on a consistent basis. The most important thing is I’m getting to know him, and him [getting to know] me, just like everybody else.”
As a freshman, Harris started 12 games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.4 rebounds. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in his abbreviated sophomore season. A 6-foot-4 native of south Georgia (Iron City), Harris offered the team a solid defensive presence, as well as someone with slashing ability. He could occasionally hit a 3-pointer as well.
Recruiting update
• Georgia has one scholarship available right now: There are 10 current players, including Harris, and has signed two players. The NCAA limit is 13 scholarships.
Crean is open to using that spot for either a graduate transfer or a high school player, or perhaps not using it at all. He said he’s still evaluating possibilities.
“We need to get better shooting the ball. Well these guys [the current players] are going to get better shooting the ball, so we’ve got to keep looking at what adds to us,” Crean said. “OK, maybe for a one-year situation, maybe for a longer haul, just what becomes the best fit. So I’m not married to any certain thing there.”
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