Sports briefs

Jeremy Harris selected for Pro Basketball Combine

Senior forward Jeremy Harris will take part in the Pro Basketball Combine, May 21-22 at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.

Harris is the second UB player to participate after Wes Clark performed in it last year.

The Professional Basketball Combine is a secondary draft combine designed to give players an opportunity to showcase their talents in hopes of being selected to play professional basketball. Each player who attends has the opportunity to participate in private workouts and scrimmages, combine testing, and interview for NBA general managers, NBA scouts, G-League personnel and has overseas opportunities, according to the Combine’s website.

Harris spent two seasons at UB after transferring from Gulf Coast State College where he was the second-best JUCO player in the country.

He has averaged 14.8 points per game, six rebounds and 2.6 assists in his career with the Bulls.

Harris made the second-team All-Mid-American Conference for the second-straight year and eclipsed the 1,000 point mark this season.

Currently, no other Bull has been announced their participation in the Combine. Seniors CJ Massinburg and Nick Perkins each participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament that ran from April 17-20 in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament consisted of the top 64 senior college basketball players in the nation and is considered a prime opportunity for players to maximize their visibility and skills.

The MAC named Massinburg Player of the Year and Perkins was named MAC Sixth Man of the Year for the third consecutive season. Both were All-MAC first-team selections as well.

The 2019 NBA Draft Combine full participant list has yet to be announced and is expected to be revealed on May 4. The Combine will take place in Chicago from May 15-19 if any Bull is selected.

Cierra Dillard makes donation to Kids Escaping Drugs foundation

Cierra Dillard is busy packing up boxes for the WNBA training camp that begins on May 5, but she still had time to give back to her community.

Dillard visited the Kids Escaping Drugs facility in West Seneca Monday and brought some items with her to give to the facility for an upcoming auction they’re holding.

She brought a signed picture of the UB team that went to the Sweet 16 two years ago and a shirt she wore that says “reclaim and advance.” In addition, Dillard donated the shoes she wore from this year’s NCAA Tournament.

“I didn't have everything growing up. I saw the poverty, I've seen the drugs, I've seen being a statistic, and making it out ... that was my biggest goal,” Dillard said. “And I see the kids ... they have the same dreams too, they have the same dreams and aspirations to do the same thing that I do. All they're looking for is the opportunity. I just want to tell them, 'You can get that opportunity if you work hard, you dedicate yourself, there are things you're going to have to sacrifice, but if you want that dream, you can get that opportunity as well.’”

The Kids Escaping Drugs foundation is dedicated to ending the drug epidemic in Western New York. Its goal as the only residential treatment facility for adolescents aged 12-23 is to empower families to live a life free from the disease of addiction through community outreach and education.

Dillard has remained with the Bulls throughout the process to leaving and participated in pick-up games with members of the team and coaching staff on Tuesday.

Nathaniel Mendelson is the senior sports editor and can be reached at nathaniel.mendelson@ubspectrum.com and on Twitter @NateMendelson