Long before he partnered with former teammate Malcolm Brogdon to build water wells in East Africa in 2018, before he defeated Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry to win the 2019 NBA Three-Point Contest, before he signed a $75 million contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets last November, and before he broke the record for most career 3-pointers in Nets franchise history Wednesday night, Joe Harris was a University of Virginia student.
A student who liked eating and hanging out with friends on The Corner, interacting with professors and members of the Charlottesville community and shooting 3-pointers in the John Paul Jones Arena practice gym at all hours of the day.
The shooting dedication led to Harris – a.k.a. “Joey Hoops,” “Joey Buckets” or just plain old “Joe” – becoming one of the best players in the Atlantic Coast Conference by his senior season in 2013-14.
In his four years at UVA, Harris sank 263 shots from downtown.
Which of those 3-pointers do you remember most?
Here are UVA Today’s top three:
Lighting Up Duke
As a junior in 2012-13, Harris scored a career-high 36 points in leading UVA to a 73-68 win over Duke University at John Paul Jones Arena. The win was Virginia’s first in 11 years over a top-five opponent and snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Blue Devils.
Harris was 12-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, with his final triple from the top of the key that put UVA up by 12 with under five minutes to play.
After the final buzzer, UVA fans stormed the court and hoisted players on their shoulders as they chanted “U-V-A!”
“Harris was fantastic, which we knew he would be,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. “He’s just one of the best players in the country. When you have a guy playing at that level … it brings everybody up. You know you’re playing with a stud.”
A Net personified.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2021
Congrats, Joey pic.twitter.com/cpp0VGHamW
Syracuse Senior Night
As a fourth-year student during the 2013-14 season, Harris helped lead the Hoos to a 75-56 win at JPJ that earned the program its first outright ACC regular-season title since 1981.
The game was tied at 42 before UVA went on a decisive 20-5 run.
Harris hadn’t scored a basket all day – he had missed his first seven shots – but provided the final dagger. His 3-pointer from the wing had fans in an absolute frenzy.
“It was kind of a sigh of relief almost,” Harris said afterward. “I thought my shots were feeling good in the first half; I just wasn’t connecting.
“I wasn’t too worried about it. I knew if I got another look at it, I was confident I could knock it down.”
The victory gave UVA the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
The most prolific three-point shooter in Nets history: JOEY BUCKETS pic.twitter.com/OseKRUtyVE
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2021
Greensboro Greatness
In the finals of the 2014 ACC Tournament, UVA played Duke.
The Cavaliers led just 59-57 with 2:54 to play before closing the game on a 13-6 run. The key sequence occurred when Akil Mitchell stole the ball from Blue Devils star Jabari Parker, leading to a Harris 3-pointer that put the game out of reach.
Final score: UVA 72, Duke 63.
In leading the Hoos to their first ACC Tournament championship since 1976 – and just its second ever – Harris was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
A member of UVA coach Tony Bennett’s inaugural recruiting class, Harris helped lay the groundwork for a program that would go on to win another ACC Tournament title (2018), five more regular-season titles and, of course, the 2019 NCAA championship.
