Howard guard Bryce Harris. Howard guard Bryce Harris after a loss in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four. (CBS Sports on Twitter/X.)

Howard Bison star Bryce Harris has gone viral on social media with his passionate, thoughtful remarks after a heartbreaking loss Tuesday night in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wagner Seahawks defeated Howard 71-68 in the First Four game. Harris, a junior guard, scored 16 points. In a postgame press conference, he opened up about the bond he and his teammates share.

“It comes down to basketball, but it also comes down to having connections with who we are not only as teammates, but as human beings,” Harris said. “Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life, because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal, and allows you to have a deeper connection past just being a teammate.

“What we speak a lot about is having brothers … you’re going to go through things with your brothers, you’re going to have good moments, you’re going to have bad moments, you’re going to have moments where you’re mad with your brother or your brother’s mad at you.

“In a nutshell, that’s basically what that was, understanding each other, understanding our whys — why we play the game, who introduced us to the game, what’s carrying us through any type of adversity we have, whether it’s basketball-wise or in life in general, just to carry on and be able to lean on one another.”

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/1770263434984116398

Harris’ words, and his sincere delivery, immediately captured the attention of fans and sports media. CBS Sports reporter Gary Parrish summed up the feelings of many with this X/Twitter post.

“This is a great answer and I don’t even know what the question was,” he posted.

After Harris’ postgame comments began going viral Wednesday morning, the Howard Bison men’s basketball account made a post praising him.

Memphis Grizzlies play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica tweeted, “This is just cool to see. Heartfelt expression of what sports can mean.”

WBZ anchor Dan Roche posted, “This is why everyone – at some point – should be part of a team growing up. Could be a sport, band, drama club, whatever. Can help shape/change/teach life lessons.”

The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker posted, “This is pretty perfect.”

It’s not often a player makes a bigger impression on people in defeat rather than after a win, but it happened with Harris on Tuesday night.


[Gary Parrish and CBS Sports on Twitter/X]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.