AMES – The third time’s the charm for junior guard/forward Sydney Harris, who is at her third school in her third year of college. After seasons at Central Michigan and TCU, Harris believes she has found a good fit at Iowa State.
As a freshman at Central Michigan, Harris averaged 17.4 points per game and was named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. She was also named All-MAC Third Team while scoring the third most points in the conference.
“I think the number one thing is she can score,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “I coached in the MAC for seven years, and that’s really high-level basketball, and to be freshman of the year and score at the level that she did in the MAC.”
After one season with the Chippewas, Harris decided to test the waters of the transfer portal, and the Cyclones were one of the teams that tried to get Harris and her impressive scoring to their team.
“We tried really hard, we did, and it just didn’t work out,” Fennelly said. “That’s kinda the way the portal works.”
Harris took her skills to Fort Worth, Texas, to play for TCU. After missing a significant amount of games for the Horned Frogs, Harris averaged 9.4 points on 81% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from behind the arc.
Despite the efficient scoring and playing a large role at the end of the season, Harris dealt with injuries, among other things, that made her experience with the Horned Frogs a not-so-great one.
“Missing the whole non-conference was already tough enough, being injured,” Harris said. “I also had a lot of family issues at the end that was hard, so having a new start was really good for me.”
Entering the portal once again, the Cyclones were near the top of the list again. This time, Iowa State made it very hard for her to go anywhere else.
“The biggest thing for me was that they were still confident in me even though I kind of overlooked them that first time,” Harris said. “I’m pretty sure they were the first school that reached out, not just to me, but my dad received a phone call.”
Harris took her visit to Ames and committed on the spot. She did not take her visit to Iowa State the first time in the transfer portal, so she got to see the campus and really get to know the coaches the second time around.
“This time, she really wanted to come. I think she felt like this was a good fit,” Fennelly said. “It happened pretty quickly so we were excited that it happened.”
Through four games with the Cyclones, Harris is third in scoring, averaging 11 points per game on 57% shooting and 53% from 3-point land, all while coming off the bench.
“Coach Fennelly says you have to be ready for when your number is called,” Harris said. “I feel like coming off the bench last year at TCU kind of transferred over. I would definitely say I am more confident here anyway.”
Fennelly is happy to have someone like Harris, who he can plug into the lineup in a variety of ways due to her abilities at a few different positions. Fennelly also mentioned how she has been able to build chemistry with her teammates in the short time she’s been a Cyclone.
“She’s a great teammate, she’s fit in really well. She’s given us some versatility that we didn’t really know exactly,” Fennelly said. “We’ve played her as a backup to Addy [Brown], played her at the three. Obviously, she’s a kid that has come in and scored.”
Harris has found her fit and has come a long way since the tough season at TCU a year ago. Whether it is by scoring, rebounding, or being a good teammate, Harris will look to continue her great start as the Cyclones prepare for the rest of the season.
“I’m having a better time mentally, physically, emotionally, I think everything has just been better since the transition,” Harris said. “I love my teammates, I love my coaches, and I think my life has just been a lot easier since I’ve been here.”
