Woody: UR's Harper knows it's 'we' not 'me'

Everyone wants potential. No one wants to waste it.

Justin Harper, the University of Richmond's 6-10 senior forward, has potential enough to fill several wheelbarrows.

Almost since he stepped on campus, Harper has heard that he possesses NBA talent.

That's not so easy to live with. If a player has that kind of ability, he's expected to display it in every game.

Easier said than done.

That's why so many players will offer their best set of clichés and, talk around those three letters, N-B-A.

Not Harper, at least not now.

"I think about it every day," he said. "Every game, every practice is an opportunity to showcase my talent.

"I work hard every day. I try to get better every day."

Harper certainly did his part Saturday night against VCU. In the annual Black and Blue Classic, Harper scored 16 points, had seven rebounds and was given credit for one blocked shot but appeared to swat away at least one other VCU attempt.

Harper did most of his damage in the first 20 minutes when he made 5 of 8 shots, some in the paint, some on dribble-penetration through heavy traffic and one from beyond the 3-point line.

He was an essential reason Richmond raced to an insurmountable 40-17 halftime advantage. Ultimately, Richmond won 72-60, snapping a six-year series winning streak by the Rams.

Inconsistency has plagued Harper through his college career. In some games, he has been good enough to play in the NBA the next night. At other times, he's been a flat-footed jump shooter flirting with foul trouble and spent more time on the bench than the floor.

"I've been watching him a long time, and he's definitely expanded his game," said VCU's junior guard Bradford Burgess.

Burgess played at Benedictine, Harper at Meadowbrook.

"He's definitely gotten stronger," Burgess said. "He can put the ball on the floor instead of just being a jump shooter."

One player doesn't make a team. And with Richmond, point guard Kevin Anderson is the man who drives the Spiders' bus.

However, if Richmond is to travel where it hopes, and that is not just back to the NCAA tournament but with a victory or two included, Harper has to play at a consistently high level.

And he knows it.

"It's a matter of showing everything I can do for my team, and just going out there every night and on a daily basis bringing that to the table," Harper said. "The team really needs it.

"I know I'm capable. It's a matter of doing it. This year, that's probably the biggest difference, going from knowing what I'm capable of doing to doing the same thing every night, night in and night out. That's my focus."

And how about that NBA talk? Most coaches would be a bit concerned to hear a player talking about next season when there's so much left in this season.

"Justin is one of the most level-headed kids around and very much a team first player," said Richmond coach Chris Mooney. "He would be the last guy to put anything above the team.

"And to be honest, I'm sure I was the first one to tell him [about the NBA]. We've told him since his freshman year. After a difficult practice or game, we'd tell him, 'Justin, you're going to play in the NBA one day.' That's why we're hard on you, and that's why we want you to work hard to be successful. It's been easier for the coaches to see his ability than it has been for him.

"It's undeniable. He's one of the best players around. I just haven't seen many guys as versatile as he is at his size who can have that much impact on a game. He can make a very physical play and the next time he's making a very soft jump shot. He's just impressive."

The difference between the past three seasons and this season, so far anyway, is not just that Harper is stronger and more confident. The biggest difference is that he understands how good he is and where his talent can take him.

First, though, he wants to help take his team as far as it can go. That's the difference between a me-first player with NBA talent and a team-first player with NBA talent.

pwoody@timesdispatch.com

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