Moe Harkless thrilled to return to Madison Square Garden as Knick
Maurice Harkless of the Knicks controls the ball in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Moe Harkless sat in the Knicks locker room just an hour before tip-off against Washington on Wednesday night and pointed to the uniform — No. 3 — hanging in his locker. He smiled and shook his head.
“It’s just crazy,” he said. “I was here [in the home locker room] with St. John’s. Now I am back to play for the Knicks. For a guy from New York who grew up a fan of both? It’s just incredible.”
The Knicks acquired Harkless last week as part of the package that came back when Marcus Morris was shipped to the Clippers in a three-team deal. Though he’d been back to the Garden during his eight seasons in the NBA, he hadn’t been playing for the home team in the World’s Most Famous Arena since the 2011-12 basketball season when he was with the Red Storm.
“But I am sure it’s going to be a very different experience than playing for St. John’s,” Harkless said. “That was amazing, so I can only imagine how this is going to be.”
Harkless intended to play his first game with the Knicks over the weekend in Atlanta, but was held out because of an illness that ultimately got worse before it got better. He was able to practice with the team on Tuesday and participated in the shootaround before Wednesday’s game.
“The extra days probably helped because I got to see the offense and learn more about how we play,” Harkless said. “ I got to practice yesterday and go to shootaround today, so I got to go over some stuff and hopefully I am up to speed.”
It’s unclear whether Harkless’ stay with the Knicks will be a long one. According to published reports. The 6-7 forward could get bought out at the end of the month and contenders could seek him for the stretch run. Harkless is on an expiring contract anyway and may not ultimately fit in the Knicks’ long-term plans.
“I’m hearing about it lately, but that never was my thought when I got traded here,” Harkless said. “My mind is in the moment. I just want to get out and play with the guys in this locker room.”
Harkless said that getting to play home games at the Garden was an important factor in his choice to attend St. John’s. He played only the one season, declared for the NBA Draft and went in the first round to Philadelphia, who traded him before the season to Orlando. In that one season — when he was Big East Rookie of the Year — he identified a 66-63 win over UCLA as his best Garden moment in college.
“It was a close game. We rallied to win. The crowd was into it,” he said. “That was all you could want as a St. John’s player.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
