FORT WAYNE, Ind. — It’s 40 minutes before tip-off at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Friday, April 10.
Ivan Harris stands behind the 3-point line on the right wing, waiting for a bounce pass from Erie BayHawks assistant coach Benjamin McDonald.
Harris pushes his left hand forward, catches the ball and gently rolls it into his fingertips. In one motion, Harris brings the ball to his chest, squares his feet, hops and releases the ball.
With perfect arc and rotation, the ball dives through the basket, the iron. The net jumps up like a teenager from her seat at a scary movie.
McDonald catches the ball right out of the net and throws another bounce pass.
Swish.
Again, another bounce pass.
Swish.
Harris, a 6-foot-7 forward, can’t miss.
On this night, the BayHawks face NBA Development League Central Division rival Fort Wayne with a playoff berth on the line. Win and they’re in — it doesn’t get much simpler than that.
Getting exposure
The NBA Development League began in 2001 with eight teams making up a minor-league organization for the NBA. In 2005, the newly named D-League expanded to 15 teams, all of which had affiliation with at least two NBA teams.
The league is full of players with NBA aspirations. It’s proven to be a great stepping stone. Roughly 20 percent of all NBA players have spent time in the D-League. Harris is trying to become one of those players.
Harris played at North and South high schools in Springfield before going to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season. He started on Ohio State University’s national runner-up team in 2007.
Last season, Harris played for Lappeenranta of the Korisliiga in Finland. After averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game, he decided he wanted more exposure from NBA scouts, taking his chances with the D-League even though he would be playing for less money.
Each player signs a contract with the league and is allocated to a team. The D-League pay scale is broken down into three different levels. A-level players make between $24,000 and $26,000, B-level players make between $18,000 and $20,000 and C-level players make between $12,500 and $14,000.
Harris admits the money isn’t great, but it’s all about experience and exposure.
Every night is like an audition for the NBA. Although Erie is affiliated with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers, any NBA team is open to sign any player from the D-League at any moment.
“There’s a scout at every game — every game,” Harris said. “You have to always bring your A-game.”
Harris is playing against and with all kinds of players who had outstanding college careers. He’s teammates with former University of North Carolina star Jackie Manuel and the University of Kentucky’s Erik Daniels.
“It’s a lot of guys trying to make it,” Harris said. “You have to play every game like it’s your last. They’re all going at your throat.”
Losing his focus
Four minutes into the game, Harris locks arms in the post with the Mad Ants’ 6-11 center Anthony Kent. He’s got four inches on Harris.
It’s a predicament Harris has faced all season. In Finland, Harris played his natural position, small forward.
But with the undersized BayHawks, Harris is learning to bang with giants in the paint to do “whatever is best for the team.”
“I’ve shut down a lot of guys, holding them off their average,” Harris said.
But against the Mad Ants, the banging leads to foul trouble for Harris. He picks up two quick fouls right before halftime. He’s 1-for-3 from the field with two shots cradling the rim before jumping out of the basket.
The BayHawks trail 61-39 at the half in front of 6,559 fans, the largest crowd of the season for Fort Wayne in its home finale.
The second half doesn’t get much better. Harris picks up back-to-back fouls in an eight-second span with 2:57 to go in the third quarter. He’s relegated to the bench and forced to watch as his teammates overcome a 24-point deficit to take a 92-91 lead with 3:45 remaining. He finally returns with 27.3 seconds to go when the BayHawks need free-throw shooting reinforcements.
The BayHawks hold on to win 105-99 and clinch a playoff berth. Harris finishes the game with two points and three rebounds.
“It was an excellent win,” Harris says after the game. “We needed this win. We have another game against them tomorrow. We have to come out a lot stronger than we did.”
He is, however, disappointed with his play.
“Once I got in foul trouble, I think I just lost focus,” Harris says. “I guess my head wasn’t in the game today. I have to forget about this game. We got the victory, and now we have to worry about tomorrow.”
After the game, BayHawks coach John Treloar breathes a sigh of relief. His team has clinched a playoff berth despite trailing for most of the game. He says losing Harris to foul trouble hampered his squad.
“This is a game that put us in the playoffs,” Treloar says. “Our guys stayed focused and didn’t lose their composure. Ivan got in foul trouble down the stretch and that made it a little tough for us. To come back like that was a good step for us.”
Harris still takes his performance in stride.
“I think I shot all my jumpers in warm-ups,” Harris says. “I couldn’t buy a bucket during the game.”
After a seven-hour bus ride, the BayHawks arrive back in Erie at 5 a.m. They face Fort Wayne again in 14 hours.
Shooting better
Harris is at home in Erie.
Before the game at the Louis J. Tullio Arena, he draws several oohhs and ahhs from the crowd with a slam dunk during pre-game warm-ups.
He’s quickly become a fan favorite. Harris wears a headband for every game and plays to the crowd after every made 3-pointer. He’s also remembered from his time at Ohio State.
Harris gets a big ovation from the crowd when he’s announced as a member of the starting lineup for the BayHawks’ regular-season finale in front of a season-high 5,252 fans against Fort Wayne on Saturday, April 11.
On this night, everything is going right for Harris.
Through one quarter, he’s got eight points, on 4-of-8 shooting, and three rebounds.
With 3:42 remaining in the first half, Harris nails a shot right inside the 3-point line to give Erie a 49-39 lead.
That’s when he hears Donnell “Bubba” Jordan, Erie’s biggest fan.
“Let’s go I, let’s go I,” says Jordan, who’s seated courtside next to the scorer’s table. He’s wearing a black BayHawks’ headband with matching wristbands and is banging the cowbells the organization gave out as a promotion earlier in the season.
As a basketball fan in a non-NBA city, Jordan loves the D-League. He loves the energy of both the crowd and the game — and he’s a big fan of Harris.
“He’s super,” Jordan says.
When it comes to fans, the D-League is as friendly as possible. Like most minor-league sporting events, the teams run promotions during timeouts and encourage players to sign autographs after the game. The league also telecasts every game live on the Internet so fans can watch road games.
Harris can feel the excitement in the crowd. He rolls off a screen to nail his first shot of the second half.
A few moments later, Harris breaks free for a dunk, but decides to pull back for a layup and is fouled by Hunter. While shooting free throws, he gets a earful from Jordan.
“You should’ve went for the dunk, Ivan,” Jordan says. “You should’ve went for that dunk.”
With 4:41 to go in the third quarter, Harris makes a 3-pointer from the right wing, the same spot he and McDonald worked from before Friday’s game.
“All day, Ivan,” Jordan says. “All day.”
Two minutes later, Harris hits another 3. In the fourth quarter, Harris hits his final 3-pointer to cap off a 26-point, five-rebound night.
After the game, Harris is interviewed by WICU, Erie’s NBC affiliate.
He’s more than happy about rebounding from the previous night’s disappointing performance. He said he felt like the freshest player on the floor after missing most of the second half Friday.
“I knew I had to come out stronger than I did last night,” Harris said. “I got in foul trouble, and I think my mind just wasn’t there. Tonight I had to come out and just focus on my shots and play defense.”
Just another night in the D-League.
Looking ahead
Three days later, Harris’ season is over.
The NBA D-League playoff format allows for eight teams to advance to the playoffs with the three division winners each picking their opponents in a one-game single elimination first round.
The BayHawks earned the No. 7 seed, but the Colorado 14ers, the No. 1 seed, chose to play them.
Harris had 18 points, but the BayHawks gave up a season-high point total in a 129-108 loss.
Harris finishes the season averaging 15.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He’s always been a pure shooter, and he proved it with Erie, leading the team in both free throw shooting (86.7 percent) and 3-point shooting (42.9 percent).
“Ivan’s done a great job,” Treloar says. “I’m really proud of him. The thing that has happened is everybody in the league knows now he’s one of the best shooters in the league. They really have worked to crowd him and take away his outside jump shot. He’s worked to get better driving the ball. He’s improved on that.”
According the ESPN.com research, 3-point shooting percentages and attempts have increased in the last 15 years. In the 1994-95 NBA season, teams shot 9.9 3-pointers per game, making 33.3 percent. This season, teams are shooting 18.1 3-pointers per game and making 36.7 3-pointers per game — which could make a 3-point shooter like Harris a hot commodity in the NBA.
This summer, Harris will play in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas and could have a chance to compete at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ minicamp in June.
“That will give him a chance to make a team,” Treloar said. “He’s just got to keep working and keep getting better. I really think he’s got a chance to play in the NBA.”
Harris has the same goal as every other player in the D-League — catching on with an NBA team. This summer could go a long way in helping him realize his NBA dream.
“You just want to get some exposure and develop your game,” Harris said. “Hopefully you get that 10-day contract (with an NBA team), and one day you’ll stick.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365 or mcooper@coxohio.com.
