Missouri freshman point guard Blake Harris leaves team, plans to transfer

Missouri’s point guard issues just got worse.

Freshman Blake Harris announced he would ask for his release and transfer, the school confirmed Friday. The news was first reported by ESPN.

“Thanks Missouri,” Harris wrote in a text message to The Star.

Harris had been the starting point guard since the team’s game against Long Beach State on Thanksgiving in the Advocare Invitational. He didn’t start in the Tigers’ most recent game, against South Carolina, which coach Cuonzo Martin attributed to Harris missing some practices because he was sick.

A top-100 recruit out of high school by ESPN, Harris originally signed with Washington alongside Michael Porter Jr. but asked for his release when the Huskies parted ways with coach Lorenzo Romar. When Porter Jr. committed to play for Missouri, he personally recruited Harris to join him.

Missouri will not place any restrictions on where Harris can transfer, and he will be eligible to play during the second semester of the academic year next season.

Throughout the season, Martin had Harris on a short leash. He would pull him out of games shortly after committing a turnover or a bad foul. Even after Harris cracked the starting lineup in November, he was still playing fewer than 25 minutes a game with juniors Jordan Geist or Terrence Phillips running the point in close situations. After the team’s win over St. John’s, Martin called out Harris in a video posted by a team spokesperson, saying Harris had been playing selfishly.

In an eventual loss to Illinois, Harris brought the Tigers energy in the second half and helped Missouri chip away at a 20-point deficit. Harris finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds.

For the season, Harris was averaging 3.8 points per game and had a team-high 44 assists. He’s the second Missouri player to transfer under Cuonzo Martin, joining fellow freshman guard C.J. Roberts, who committed to Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Missouri now has two scholarships to fill and only two scholarship point guards on the roster.

Geist will likely start in Harris’ place and Phillips will see an increase in playing time. Graduate transfer Kassius Robertson also played point guard earlier in the season.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Missouri freshman point guard Blake Harris leaves team, plans to transfer."