Magnolia import Mike Harris all love for Alaska despite going separate ways

Magnolia Pambansang Manok import Mike Harris had nothing but kind words for Alaska even after he didn’t get a chance to have another tour of duty with the team he led to the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals in 2018.
Harris said he has no ill feelings towards the Aces, who opted not to bring back the former Best Import a year after falling short against his current team, Magnolia, in the championship series.
“I don't really have nothing bad to say about Alaska,” Harris said after helping Magnolia open its Governors’ Cup campaign with a 114-87 win over Terrafirma Wednesday, Dec. 15 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“They treated me well. Everything was good. You know, they went another way,” added the 38-year-old.
He also described that the Aces have made some progress under coach Jeffrey Cariaso, who had just taken over from Alex Compton when the decision was made to bring in a different import.
“I think under coach Jeff, his system is starting to get integrated and they look really well. Good to see guys that I was there with starting to emerge and I'm gonna see those guys starting to play a lot better,” said Harris.
With that said, Harris is looking forward to exceeding what he did previously for Alaska now that he is part of the Magnolia squad.
But Harris had to do some soul searching first before deciding to accept the offer, given the current situation of the pandemic.
“I took some time to decide between me and my wife. Good thing is I don't go nowhere. So, you know, stay inside in a bubble type situation. So I like that it feels a lot more safer,” Harris said.
Harris is also feeling right at home with the Magnolia squad that is known for its emphasis on playing defense.
“They’re strong and everybody competes in practice,” he said. “It’s really a tough defensive team and they take pride on their defense. And I like it. I like how competitive they are in practice everyday everyone gets after and really competitive so I like them.”