SIUE Cougars land K-State transfer Tre Harris, add Bubba Wells to staff
SIUE men’s basketball head coach Jon Harris has announced the signing of transfer Robert "Tre" Harris III from Kansas State.
Tre Harris, is the nephew of the Cougars' head coach and attended high school at Edwardsville where he played for Tigers’ head coach Mike Waldo. Harris will sit out the 2015-16 season and have three years of eligibility remaining.
"We're very excited to bring Tre home," Coach Harris said. "He has great size and length for the position, and does a tremendous job moving without the ball in his hands."
Tre Harris spent his freshman season under head coach Bruce Weber at Kansas State, where he saw time in 21 games, while making one start. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 195-pound guard was the top freshman in scoring for the Wildcats, averaging 3.8 points per game.
He finished the season shooting 50 percent (28-56) from the field and 45 percent (20-44) from three-point range, leading the team in three-point percentage. Tre scored a season-high 14 points twice during the season- in the season opener against Southern Utah (11/14) and again on the road at TCU (2/8).
"Tre's biggest asset is his IQ," Coach Harris added. "He understands how to play the game, and he brings a much sought after skill set with the ability to make perimeter shots."
Tre was a four-year letter winner for Waldo at Edwardsville High School. As a senior, he was part of the Tigers team that went 31-3 and finished third at the Illinois Class 4A state tournament. He was an honorable mention All-State selection as a junior and senior. He was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference member and three-time All-Metro selection. Tre is fourth on EHS's all-time scoring list with 1,460 points.
Tre's mother, LeAnn (Bryan) Harris played basketball for the Cougars from 1991-94 and is No. 4 all-time in scoring with 1,518 career points. An All-American during the 1993-94 season, she also is a member of SIUE's Athletics Hall of Fame.
Wells joins coaching staff
Harris also announced the addition of Ohio Valley Conference great and former NBA player Charles "Bubba" Wells to the coaching staff.
Wells comes to SIUE after spending the last 10 seasons on the staff at his alma mater, Austin Peay, where he is the all-time leading scorer with 2,267 points and is a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame. His No. 13 jersey is retired by the school.
"Bubba and I have traveled in similar recruiting circles for the last several years, and he's a guy with a strong reputation in the business," Harris said. "He played the game at a high level and attacks everything that he does with that same level of drive and focus."
The Governors won OVC regular season championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08 with Wells as an assistant coach. The 2007-08 team won the OVC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tournament, falling to second-seeded Texas in the first round.
While at Austin Peay, Wells worked with the Governors' post players, a responsibility which will continue on the Cougar sidelines.
The 2,267 career points ranks Wells as the fifth-leading scorer in OVC history. During his playing career, Wells earned three first-team All-OVC selections. He was the 1996 and 1997 OVC Male Athlete of the Year winner and the 1997 OVC Player of the Year in men's basketball. He also was a two-time Austin Peay Outstanding Male Athlete in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
As a player, Austin Peay won the OVC regular season title in 1997 and the 1996 OVC Tournament title, in which Wells was selected as the Tournament MVP. He continues to hold OVC Tournament records for the most points in a game, scoring 43 against Morehead State in the 1997 tournament, and total points in the tournament (99 in 1997 tournament). He also holds the records for field goals made and attempted in a game as well as in a tournament.
The native of Russellville, Ky, averaged 21.6 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game and connected on 52 percent of his shots during his playing career.
He earned his degree in Public Personnel Management from Austin Peay in 1997. He was then drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and played one season in the NBA. He also played professionally in the Philippines and Greece. He played two seasons for the Harlem Globetrotters.
In August 2007, he married the former Tracee Jones, the former head women's basketball coach at Tennessee State.
This story was originally published May 28, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "SIUE Cougars land K-State transfer Tre Harris, add Bubba Wells to staff."