Michigan State's Harris to return

Apr 18, 2013 - 11:40 PM East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - Michigan State guard Gary Harris announced Thursday that he will come back for his sophomore season with the Spartans in 2013-14.

Harris, the first player in the storied history of the Spartans' men's basketball program to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, had considered leaving for the NBA after a strong debut season in which he averaged 12.9 points and shot better than 41 percent from 3-point range. The 6-foot-4 Indiana native was one of eight finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award honoring the nation's top freshman.

"Playing in the NBA is definitely a goal of mine, and something that I've always dreamed of, but those dreams can wait for another day," Harris said. "I think additional experience and maturity will be huge in my development as a player. I have other dreams of things I want to accomplish, both as a player and as a team at Michigan State. I love college life, and I'm no hurry to move on."

Harris put together his outstanding freshman year despite battling shoulder problems all throughout the season, but is expected to be at full strength in time for next season.

"Gary had a phenomenal freshman season, but his future is even brighter," Spartans head coach Tom Izzo remarked. "After gathering many different opinions, it was determined that he would not need surgery on his shoulder. He's been committed to his rehab and all indications are that he's making great progress. There's no question that a healthy Gary Harris is one of the premier guards in the country."