The Howard Bison had the unfortunate distinction of being the first team to lose in March Madness, dropping their First Four game against the Wagner Seahawks on Tuesday, 71–68. But Howard junior Bryce Harris is keeping things in perspective.
After the game, Harris, the team’s leading scorer this season, was asked what he and his teammates would be able to take away from the game and the season, even though their tournament run ended sooner than they hoped it would.
“Just to reiterate, it comes down to basketball, but it also comes down to having connections with who we are, not just as basketball players but human beings,” Harris said. “Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal and it allows you to have a deeper connection past being just a teammate.”
"Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal. It allows you to have a deeper connection past just being a teammate."
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2024
—@HUMensBB's Bryce Harris pic.twitter.com/It00b3H7sc
“What we speak a lot about is having brothers,” Harris continued. “When you have brothers, you’ll go through things with your brothers. You’ll have good moments. You’ll have bad moments. You’ll have moments where you’re mad at your brother, your brother is mad at you. But you guys have to go through the rocky mountain and get over it—especially to reach that common goal.
“In a nutshell, that’s basically what that was, just understanding each other, understanding our whys—why we play the game, who introduced us to the game, what’s carrying us through any type of adversity that we have, whether it’s basketball-wise or in life in general, and just carry on and be able to lean on one another.”
Harris’s message is relatable to anyone who has played team sports, and it’s clear that he and his brothers are building something special at Howard. They won the MEAC last season to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than 30 years. This year marked the first time in program history that the Bison qualified for March Madness in back-to-back years. With an attitude like the one Harris expressed, there’s no reason to believe Howard can’t make it three in a row next season.
