North Texas Daily

Reece Waddell | Senior Staff Writer

@ReeceTapout15

Junior guard DeAndre Harris was dismissed from the North Texas basketball program last week, per an official statement from head coach Tony Benford. The dismissal came after an incident in the first half of a game against Troy University, which Benford declined to specifically comment on.

Harris was known for having a temper during his tenure with the Mean Green and was suspended last season after picking up two technical fouls in a game. He was also ejected from a game after committing a flagrant two foul for excessive contact. In 31 career games with North Texas, Harris averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

While mostly mum, here are some players’ and coaches’ reactions to his dismissal.

Benford: “All I can say is we wish DeAndre the best. You see kids all the time leave programs around the country. A lot of times when players leave, it could be because of their role or because of their playing time. You just never know. And I don’t know. You would have to ask him that. We just decided it would be in the best interest of him and of our program to move forward.”

Senior guard Todd Eaglin: “I don’t know what happened. Whatever happened was between DeAndre and the coaches. It’s hard to see him go out like that because he was pretty cool, but it’s in the past and we have to move forward.”

Junior guard J-Mychal Reese: “I’m not really sure what happened. It was out of my hands, so I can’t really speak on that. I just wish him the best. There’s nothing we can do about it. [Harris] definitely brought a lot to the team, but it’s just the next man up mentality.”

Graduate forward Eric Katenda: “From what I heard, he had his issues he had to deal with. Coach Benford and the coaching staff made a decision, but I can’t really tell you much more about that. All I know was that he was a good guy to me and a good teammate.