Chan Harris checks back into the game

       Just a few months after returning from injury, Chandra Harris earned a preseason All-CAA Second Team selection, putting her in the top-ten women's basketball players in the conference.

This marks Harris' third such selection as one of the CAA's top athletes.

       In past seasons, she has been named to the all-conference third team for basketball and also was named to the All-CAA Track & Field High Jump team.

      "It's good that coaches and people in the league respect my game," Harris says."[I try] not [to] get caught up with it, because I still have to work hard and it'll be tougher this season because my opponents will know me better on the court."

Early in her junior year, Harris suffered an injury from a stressed fracture in her foot and had to stay away from the courts for a few months after surgery.

      When she returned to basketball after an extensive rehabilitation process, Harris had to work hard to reach her level again. "I was frustrated because I felt I couldn't give my best out there at first, but I kept practicing. "

      Before the injury occurred, the 6-foot-2-inch forward was named a top-15 player in the conference during her junior year.

She added that to her first conference award in the track and field high jump, which she received during her sophomore year.

       The fact that Harris made the All-CAA team for two sports makes her unique among other athletes, but she feels most at home on the basketball court.

      Her uncle was the first one to introduce her to basketball when, on a driveway, he taught her how to play at a young age. Since then, Harris has had an immense ability to put up great figures both offensively and defensively.

       Last year, Harris came third in the season in rebounds and blocked 49 shots. Offensively, she averaged 12.3 points per game and was the tenth among the top scorers in the league.

       Her great numbers can be attributed to her hard work, but basketball runs in her family. "My dad was a basketball player in college, and my brother also plays in college now," Harris says.

      There is nothing wrong with some entertaining father-daughter competition when it comes to the sport they both love. If one compares the stats of both of their college basketball careers, Chan outnumbers her dad in almost every area, except assists. "My dad loves to talk trash and tell me he can take me on a one-on-one game, but [he] never goes through with it," Harris says with a smile.

      Harris is currently working on her master's degree in Sports Administration. Indecisive about whether to shoot for medicine or business, Harris is certain that she wants to find a job "related to sports."

      In the meantime, Harris has a basketball season to prepare for, and she is confidently "looking forward to the season" and affirms that "the team is united and will do its best out there."