BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Growing up in Milwaukee, some 90-minutes from the UW Field House, a 12-year-old Devin Harris was no stranger to Wisconsin basketball. Piquing his early curiosity was a lithe, tenacious senior guard who wore No. 24 and wore out defenses with his silky array of shots and skills.
Harris remembered, "Marveling at his athleticism and the way he played the game … He was just the guy you wanted to be like.'' Yes, he wanted to be like Mike. Michael Finley. Lo and behold, nearly a decade later, Harris and Finley were NBA teammates on the Dallas Mavericks.
"He kind of took me under his wing,'' Harris said. "Kind of a big brother.''
Finley confirmed fondly, "Devin has always been like a little brother to me.''
Wisconsin plays Michigan here Sunday and Finley will have his No. 24 jersey retired at halftime. Harris is returning for his first game at the Kohl Center since the 2011 NBA lockout. "For me,'' he said, "I'm going to be there just to support the fact that he was the guy who kind of led the way for all of us.''
"Us'' covers a lot of alums and ground in the UW program. In 1994, Finley helped lead the Badgers to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1947. In 2003, Harris helped lead the Badgers to their first outright Big Ten championship since … 1947. Historical perspective is not lacking for either.Â
Whatever degree of pride that Finley is feeling about his jersey retirement, Harris can relate to on a different scale. Fifteen years ago, he had his No. 20 retired at Wauwatosa East High School. As a senior, he averaged 25 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. He was the AP's Player of the Year in the state.
At Wisconsin, Harris traded No. 20 for No. 34. During his three seasons as the starting point guard, he distinguished that jersey in a myriad of ways. As a junior, he averaged 19.5 points, made a then school record 171 free throws and was a John Wooden All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year.
Opting to skip his senior year, Harris declared for the 2004 draft and was taken with the No. 5 selection overall by the Washington Wizards who were picking for the Dallas Mavericks. As a rookie, one of Harris' new teammates in Dallas was Finley, who was then entering his 10th NBA season.
"We had the same agent and I had met him early on – then obviously going to Dallas, he sort of took me under his wing,'' Harris said. "He showed me how to be professional and how to work hard. We worked together in the offseason in Chicago. He had that veteran's presence that a lot of rookies need.
"Coming into a situation like Dallas, we had a lot of vets, a lot of star power. But he took the time to explain why things were happening. My rookie year was up and down. But he made sure I was in the right head space, and I didn't let all the hard times affect how I decided to work towards the game.''
Speaking in general terms of mentoring Harris, or any first-year player, Finley said, "When you first meet him and you're taking him under your wing and you're telling him things, you're not sure they're really listening to you or understanding what you're trying to get through to them.
"Then when they become older and more mature and they tell you, 'I remember when you told me this and that and how to do these types of things' you realize, 'Wow, he was listening.' Hopefully, I was not only a role model but an example of how to do things the right way.
"Us having that Badger connection has just made us even closer over the years.''
Devin Harris (34)
In 2005, Finley left Dallas to sign a free agent contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
"He went to our foe,'' Harris said, "and, at that point, I enjoyed competing against him. Those games were always fun, we'd have dinner the night before, things of that nature. Still to this day, he's a great person to go up to for advice. Now, he's climbing the ladder as far as the front office stuff.
"Watching him continue to grow and reinvent himself has pushed me to do the same thing.
"Only in a different way.''
Last August, Finley had his role with the Mavericks expanded to assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations. He has been in the front office since 2013. On the heels of a 15-year playing career in the league, Harris joined the Dallas broadcasting team in December of 2020.
"I was sitting at home during the COVID pandemic, and not really doing much, when this opportunity kind of presented itself,'' Harris said. "I was enjoying the retired life and taking care of the kids. This was an interesting opportunity and something I never thought I'd see myself doing.
"Now, I'm kind of learning about it and just trying to go all in – soak it all in – and do everything I can to try and learn the business and become great at it. He (Finley) has been very supportive in that aspect. It started with pre- and post-game. Now I'm kind of dipping into the color (analysis).
"It keeps you around the game. It keeps you relevant and this is fun. I know the game obviously from playing it for so long. But projecting that and trying to break it down from what I see, and my point of view, is a lot to learn and it's a different set of skills. But I'm enjoying trying to master them.''
Harris got a thumbs-up from Finley who volunteered this critique, "He's doing a great job. I don't get a chance to watch him as much because I'm at the games. But when I do watch, he's embracing it – just like he did his basketball career – to be himself and to be one of the best.''
Finley's positive influence on others has been a constant in his long service to the organization.
"He's a great and giving person,'' Harris said. "Whether it's basketball, or family or anything else you're going through, he always keeps things in perspective. Don't get too down. Don't get too high. Along with Dirk (Nowitzki), they always set the standard for us. He has been doing it my entire life.''
It was during Harris' second of three tours of duty as a player with the Mavericks that his world took a tragic and unforgiving turn. In October of 2017, his older brother, Bruce, was killed in a car accident on a Dallas expressway. He was 38. The same age that Devin is today.
"To be there for him in those dark days was important to me,'' Finley said. "I wanted to let him know our relationship is more than basketball. It's more about life and the experiences it brings us. Like I told him then and I tell him today, 'I'm here for you if ever you need anything.' That's our bond.''
On how Bruce's memory still impacts his daily life, Devin said, "He was a guy who supported me throughout my career. He pushed me. I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in without him. I didn't love it when I was a kid – the toughness and brotherly love – I didn't get it at the time.
"But I do get it now. I understand the sacrifices and a lot of things that he did to push me. The hard work each and every day. Keeping things in perspective. That's what he did, and I try to continue to do. He's around the house a lot. Pictures and things. I don't want my kids to forget who he was either.''
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In September, Harris came back to Madison for Bo Ryan's induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. Harris was a member of the 2015 HOF class. Since another former NBA player, Jon Leuer, was being inducted the same weekend, UW coach Greg Gard had Harris and Leuer speak to his team.
"How do you win a Big Ten title? That was a big question then,'' Harris said of his feedback from the players. "What would you guys do to accomplish that? I told them it starts in the fall … in the work that you put in on the hill … in the weight room … in building those relationships and that trust.
"So, when you get into those situations – when you're on the road – you can depend on the person to the right of you and you can depend on the person to the left of you because you've put in the work together. When everybody is tied together that's when you come out of battles successfully.''
The Badgers have obviously taken that message to heart. Picked to finish 10
th in the Big Ten, they're won 20 of 25 overall and are battling for the league title. Not only are they 12-1 in games decided by six or fewer points, but they're 10-2 away from the Kohl Center. Trust personified.
One of the noteworthy personnel revelations has been the development and maturity of point guard
Chucky Hepburn who has just three turnovers the last four games combined (127 minutes). Hepburn was the first true freshman to start a season opener at Wisconsin since none other than Harris.
"He has been doing a phenomenal job,'' Harris observed.
Reflecting on his own transition from high school to taking over the reins of a Big Ten team, Harris said there was an understanding that comes with "being held to a higher standard and being coached hard'' while he followed the lead of veterans like Charlie Wills, Travon Davis, Kirk Penney.
"It was easy for me to follow those guys and do what they did.
"They accepted me and allowed me to do what I do, so there wasn't any jealousy.
"I was just coming in to help and accomplish great things.''
From the onset, Hepburn has been of the same mindset.
"Chucky has been unflappable – Devin was like that, too,'' Gard said. "Devin just had a stoic look about him, a steely-eyed look. He didn't get too high. He didn't get too low. Obviously, he was exceptionally talented. But the number one thing you want with your point guard is a calmness.
"They don't flinch. They don't get rattled. They just move on to the next play.''
It's suspected that Harris' No. 34 jersey will also be raised one day to the Kohl Center rafters.
"Oh, yeah, I think that day is coming,'' said Finley, matter-of-factly.
Asked about it, Harris simply reiterated, "Once again, Michael is leading the way for all of us.''
Sunday will be a celebration of that legacy.
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