{"id":28477,"date":"2016-02-09T15:32:24","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T21:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=28477"},"modified":"2016-02-09T16:07:22","modified_gmt":"2016-02-09T22:07:22","slug":"former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michelle R. Martinelli<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Denver Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris establishes himself in the team\u2019s starting lineup, the defensive lessons taught by his college coach, Tom Izzo, still impact his approach to each game.<\/p>\n

Harris hasn\u2019t forgotten what he learned in his two seasons at Michigan State, especially since he and Izzo are still in touch. Izzo\u2019s emphasis on tough defense contribute to the Spartans consistently being a perennial fixture in the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the 21-year-old is averaging 11.5 points per game and 33 minutes, and he ranks fifth on the team with a 46.4 field goal percentage. But Denver coach Michael Malone said Harris\u2019 key contributions are on defense, crediting Harris\u2019 notable improvements this season to his confidence.
\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows he\u2019s starting, he\u2019s getting his 30 minutes per night, he\u2019s getting his touches and he\u2019s playing for a coach and staff that believes in him,\u201d Malone said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of our best defenders every single night. We\u2019ll challenge him with the other team\u2019s best perimeter player, and we just want him to continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Harris currently leads the Nuggets with 1.2 steals per game, grabbing a season-high five in the 104-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 23.<\/p>\n

In comparison, he averaged just 3.4 points per game and 13.1 minutes in the 2014-15 season. He said he views this season more like his rookie year because of his breakout role.<\/p>\n

\"GaryHarris2\"
Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris. (Garrett W. Ellwood\/GETTY IMAGES)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Complementing his confidence, Harris said being cemented as a starter has improved his focus in each game, so he\u2019s not dwelling on the unknown number of minutes he\u2019ll play. He also described how Malone\u2019s defensive-minded coaching style has helped him excel this season, but that\u2019s not new to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey kind of have a lot of similar ways,\u201d Harris said of Izzo and Malone. \u201cThey preach defense, they get on you, but they definitely hold you accountable, and they\u2019re definitely behind you 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being a one-and-done college player is becoming increasingly popular, and Harris could have declared for the draft after his freshman year with the Spartans. But he said he doesn\u2019t regret his decision to stick around for one more season, utilizing it to further mature on and off the court.<\/p>\n

Getting an extra year of college ball also allowed him to stay a kid a little longer, Harris said.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I wanted to] enjoy it as much as possible because college is some of the best years of your life,\u201d Harris said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a job once you get to this level, [but] people kind of think it\u2019s all fun and games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris said he still maintains relationships with people from Michigan State, noting that Izzo texted him almost immediately after the Nuggets snapped the Toronto Raptors\u2019 11-game win streak Feb. 1. He said he\u2019s often in touch with his former roommate and Spartan guard Denzel Valentine, and when the two talk, it\u2019s rarely about basketball and more about their families and personal lives. He said he also hopes to catch up with Valentine when he plays the Pistons in Detroit on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

While Harris\u2019 college days are behind him, he said there\u2019s a strong bond among the Nuggets, adding \u201cthe team\u2019s chemistry is great right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October, Denver opted to extend Harris\u2019 rookie contract for a third year through the 2016-17 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can all get better, but I love where Gary is at right now and hope he continues to go on that path,\u201d Malone said.<\/p>\n

\n

Photo at top: Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris fights off Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James during the Nuggets’ 98-95 loss Dec. 29 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (Garrett W. Ellwood\/GETTY IMAGES)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michelle R. Martinelli As Denver Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris establishes himself in the team\u2019s starting lineup, the defensive lessons taught by his college coach, Tom Izzo, still impact his approach to each game. Harris hasn\u2019t forgotten what he learned in his two seasons at Michigan State, especially since he and Izzo are still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":28519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,585],"tags":[597,1189,1135,1188,643,645,1191,1190,1192,1136],"class_list":["post-28477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2016","tag-basketball","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-denzel-valentine","tag-gary-harris","tag-michelle-martinelli","tag-michigan-state","tag-mike-malone","tag-nba","tag-spartans","tag-tom-izzo"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Michelle R. Martinelli As Denver Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris establishes himself in the team\u2019s starting lineup, the defensive lessons taught by his college coach, Tom Izzo, still impact his approach to each game. Harris hasn\u2019t forgotten what he learned in his two seasons at Michigan State, especially since he and Izzo are still […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-09T21:32:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-02-09T22:07:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"410\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"michellemartinelli\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"michellemartinelli\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/\",\"name\":\"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-09T21:32:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-02-09T22:07:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg\",\"width\":410,\"height\":616,\"caption\":\"GaryHarris1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\",\"name\":\"Medill Reports Chicago\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb\",\"name\":\"michellemartinelli\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"michellemartinelli\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/michellemartinelli\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago","og_description":"By Michelle R. Martinelli As Denver Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris establishes himself in the team\u2019s starting lineup, the defensive lessons taught by his college coach, Tom Izzo, still impact his approach to each game. Harris hasn\u2019t forgotten what he learned in his two seasons at Michigan State, especially since he and Izzo are still […]","og_url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/","og_site_name":"Medill Reports Chicago","article_published_time":"2016-02-09T21:32:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-02-09T22:07:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":410,"height":616,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"michellemartinelli","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"michellemartinelli","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/","name":"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver - Medill Reports Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg","datePublished":"2016-02-09T21:32:24+00:00","dateModified":"2016-02-09T22:07:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/GaryHarris1.jpg","width":410,"height":616,"caption":"GaryHarris1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-michigan-state-guard-gets-defensive-in-denver\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Former Michigan State guard gets defensive in Denver"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/","name":"Medill Reports Chicago","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb","name":"michellemartinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"michellemartinelli"},"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/michellemartinelli\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}