LAWRENCE, Kan. — When Dajuan Harris Jr. squared off against the University of Missouri men’s basketball team on Saturday, it was all too familiar for him despite the Tigers and Jayhawks not playing each other in Lawrence in nearly a decade.
Harris, a Columbia, Missouri, native, was a four-star prospect coming out of Rock Bridge High School — roughly two miles away from Mizzou Arena where the Tigers play their home games.
Before he committed to The University of Kansas in 2019, Mizzou was among the five teams he was offered a position at.
So, going into Saturday’s game, Harris was bound to have some extra motivation against the Tigers.
“[Yeah] I had some family down here, I wanted to perform good in front of my family, my teammates and the crowd,” Harris said.
Harris, who turned 21 on Saturday, tied a career high with 13 points in 25 minutes.
The point guard was efficient with his shooting going five of six. Nine of his points came via three-pointers.
MU’s last win against the Jayhawks came on Feb. 4, 2012, in Columbia — a game Harris attended. He was 8 at the time.
“I was talking to my grandpa today, and he told me that we went to the last Kansas and Missouri game,” he said. “I don’t remember that.”
After the Jayhawks’ win on Saturday, KU head coach Bill Self said it was a perfect recipe for success for Harris.
“It’s great, it’s his birthday and he scored his career high today,” Self said. “He played great, too, not just shooting the ball, he played great as far as how he handled the ball. It was perfect.”
