Ricky Harris - Men's Basketball Coach - University of Massachusetts Athletics

Ricky Harris

Title:
Director of Operations
Email:
rharris@umass.edu
Phone:
545-9652

University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Frank Martin announced in June that Ricky Harris will remain on the coaching staff as the director of operations following a year in the same role. Harris, a 2010 Massachusetts alumnus, returned to Amherst in the summer of 2021 and was elevated to director of operations for the 2021-22 campaign.

"After a couple of months, we made the decision to give Ricky the opportunity to be the Director of Basketball Operations," said Martin. "He handled these responsibilities last season and I am excited to keep him on board in a more expanded role where he can continue to impact our community, our campus, our players, and our office."

Harris was a four-year letterwinner with the Minutemen from 2006 to 2010, helping the program to a 73-58 record during his career including a pair of NIT appearances during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

The Baltimore, Md. native played in 129 career games, including 93 starts, and is third all-time at Massachusetts in scoring with 1960 points trailing only Jim McCoy and Monty Mack. Harris lit it up from deep during his career, shooting nearly 35% (276-of-795) from beyond the arc in four seasons, and still owns school records for most three attempted in a game (19 on Mar. 3, 2010), most threes made in a season (104 in 2007-08), most threes attempted in a season (278 in 2007-08), and is tied for the school record for most threes made in a game (8 on Mar. 3, 2010).

Harris is also seventh all-time at UMass in career field goals made (643), third in three-point field goals made (276), fifth in steals (148) and tied for ninth in games played (129).

After coming off the bench during his freshman season in 2007-08, Harris burst on to the scene during his sophomore campaign in 2008-09, averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting 37% from three en route to Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player honors. He was named to the NIT All-Tournament Team after leading Massachusetts to the championship game, averaging 20.4 points in five NIT games including 27 points in NIT Championship game against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden. His 104 made threes that season were, at the time, tied for best season in UMass history with Carmelo Travieso.

Following a coaching change entering the 2008-09 season, Harris continued to put up numbers as a junior. He once again averaged better than 18 points per game and shot nearly 39% from beyond the arc (87-of-225), and was named to the Atlantic 10 Third Team. Harris led the team in scoring 18 times during the 2008-09 campaign, reaching double-figures in 28-of-30 games, and became the 40thplayer in team history to reach 1000 career points.

Harris went out with a bang during his senior season, averaging 19.8 points per game to conclude his career as the Atlantic 10 active leading scorer. Harris passed the likes of Marcus Camby, Julius Erving and Lou Roe on UMass' all-time scoring list that season, and was again named to the Atlantic 10 Third Team. He capped his Mullins Center career by hitting a game-winning three with 3.5 seconds left to send UMass to the A-10 Tournament as part of scoring game-high 28 points against Rhode Island on Senior Day.

Following his collegiate career, Harris played 11 seasons of professional ball overseas in Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Argentina.