Dontay Harris, IBL's All-Time Leading Scorer, to Retire After 2010 Season

Published on June 17, 2010 under International Basketball League (IBL)
Tacoma Tide News Release


A staple in Tacoma-area basketball is putting an end to his professional playing career. Dontay Harris, the International Basketball League's all-time leading scorer and a four-time league all-star selection, is calling it quits.

Over the past six seasons in the IBL, the 32-year-old Harris has tallied 2435 points in a total 106 games. During that span, Harris donned uniforms for Tacoma's Thunder, Jazz and Tide. His best season offensively came in a Jazz uniform in 2007, when the power forward averaged 21.2 points in 18 contests.

Despite his prolific scoring totals, the 6-foot-9 Harris said lighting up the scoreboard isn't his favorite thing to do. "I love rebounding more than I love scoring," said Harris June 5 after bringing down a game-high 12 rebounds in a 129-103 victory against the Oregon Waves. "It's like a feast. You know what I mean? It really gets me going."

Tide general manager Jon Billings said he also believes Harris to be more than one-dimensional. "The points record is great, but it's really just one part of his game," said Billings. "[Harris' abilities] also includes defense, rebounding & leadership."

Tacoma wasn't a new destination for Harris when he joined Tacoma's roster in 2005, the team's first year in the IBL. Growing up, he called Tacoma home. As a teenager, he roamed the halls and called the hardwood of Mount Tahoma High School home. While at Mount Tahoma, Harris didn't experience immediate fame and success on the basketball court. "He was a player who had a tough time making his high school team at one point," said Billings, the general manager of the Tide. "He once told me about having to relearn the game as he entered a more structured form of basketball in high school."

Harris' retooled skills eventually shown through while a member of the varsity team at Mount Tahoma, as he earned a spot on the roster of San Jose City (Junior) College and then at Drake University.

The power forward's presence was felt from the start at Drake. Cracking the starting lineup in his first night in a Bulldog uniform, Harris had 11 points in an 82-54 victory against visiting Stony Brook. Just four games later, Harris tallied a career-high 25 points in an 86-69 win at home against Loyola of Chicago. Cleaning the glass, the 6-foot-9 power forward snatched a career-high 16 rebounds in his second game, a 91-78 triumph against Delaware State. In two years in Des Moines, Iowa, Harris averaged 11.4 points per game and 6.8 rebounds.

After graduating from Drake in 2000, Harris packed his bags and took his game overseas, with stops in Norway, Sweden and Germany. As a member of the Oslo Kings in Norway's BLNO in 2001, Harris earned All-League First Team honors and the league's championship after defeating the Kongsberg Penguins in a decisive game five of a best-of-five series for the league's championship. According to luxembourgnightlife.com, after a stint with Germany's Basket Esch, Harris decided in 2006 to solely play in the United States in order to be with his family. While playing overseas, Harris also saw action back in the United States, playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, the American Basketball Association's Bellevue (Wash.) Blackhawks and the International Basketball League's Tacoma Thunder.

Even as the final minutes of Harris' professional career tick off the clock, Tide general manager Jon Billings says his power forward is playing with the love for the game he always has.

"I have seen few player[s] that play with the consistent tenacity of Dontay," said Billings. "He is such a mild mannered and nice guy off the court but when the ball is thrown up, he seems to change to a different person and plays with an intense passion."

After his playing career, Dontay plans to give back to the next crop of young basketball stars. He is looking into youth coaching and being involved with his own son's basketball careers.

TacomaTideSports.com

IBL note: the Tacoma Tide and Dontay Harris play at home on Saturday June 19th 7pm at Curtis High School in Tacoma Washington.

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International Basketball League Stories from June 17, 2010


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