Harrison Cleary (185-PG-1997, college: UMC) is a 26 year old 185cm point guard from Oak Creek, Wisconsin playing his 5th professional season and first with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL). Last season he played with Lahti Basketball (Finland-Korisliiga) averaging (22.9ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-2 (6.5apg), 1.0spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 42.3%, FT: 92.5%. He played the 2022-2023 season with the Veolia Towers Hamburg (Germany-BBL) averaging 6.3ppg, 1.5apg an din the Eurocup averaged 6.3ppg, 1.1rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 26.3%, and he also played with SC Rist Wedel (Germany-ProB) averaging 23.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.9apg, FGP: 55.1%, 3PT-1 (45.3%), FT: 78.4%. In the 2021-2022 season he played with Aquimisa Carbajosa (Spain-LEB Silver) averaging 15.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 45.7%. He split his rookie season with TAU Castello (Spain-LEB Gold) and Afanion CB Almansa (Spain-LEB Gold). He began his basketball career at Oak Creek high school and then played 4 years. He then played 4 seasons at the University Of Minnersota Crookston (NCAA2) and as a senior averaged 26.6ppg, 3.4rpg, 4.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 39.2%, FT: 90.8%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a Basketball Champions League game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn.

Thanks Harrison for talking to germanhops.com. Your playing your first season with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL). What kind of an experience has this been for you? What have you enjoyed most about the country and organization?

It’s been a great experience so far. VEF is a very storied and successful club so it is great to be part of an organization like that. Riga is a beautiful city and I have enjoyed exploring and finding some cool spots within the city.

The organization is used to winning as it has won the double in the last 3 years. How much do you feel that ambition to win within the organization? How special is that?

It is the number one goal for us to win as many trophies as possible. They have won the LBL title for the last 3 years in a row so of course it is something we want to do again this season. In addition, we want to win the cup and take home the Est-Lat league title as well. I haven’t been part of an organization with title aspirations like this one in my career so far, so it is an exciting challenge and something I am taking very seriously because I want to uphold those standards and also cement myself as a winner.

After taking a step back last season to play in Finland, you took a step forward this season. Was this one of the best pro decisions you have made in your career?

It has been a good decision so far. Of course the opportunity to play Champions League is something that is very hard to pass up. I’m enjoying things in the moment, and I think I will know a few years from now when I am later in my career how beneficial this move and season was for me.

You are in great position to win that first pro title. How hungry are you for that first pro dub?

That is my primary goal for this year. I’ve accomplished a lot of things individually in my career, so I am really focused on winning as many games as possible and trying to bring home that first championship.

The club has a good mix of young and old. What exactly has been your role on the team?

As a point guard your role is always to be a type of leader. Of course we have veterans and experienced guys that have been at the top, so they lead us for sure. I try to lead by example as best I can and always be the hardest worker. On the court, I try to do whatever is necessary to win us games. If I need to score more that day, or play make more, or just feed the hot hand then that is what I try to do.

What has it been like being teammates with legend Dairis Bertans. The guy has seen it all from NBA to Euroleague. What do you believe has been the most important thing that you have been able to soak up from him?

It’s been great playing with Dairis. Unfortunately he has been injured lately, but we all saw what he was capable of against Bonn. Playing with a shooter like that is a huge privilege and I just try to watch him work and pick his brain whenever I can because learning from a player that has played at the levels he has is priceless.

Your having a very good BCL season. How vital was it having had that Eurocup experience a few years ago to help your game as you have moved forward in the last years?

I value my experience in the Eurocup very much. This season is a much different role than I had with Hamburg that season, but my time that I got in the Eurocup was definitely meaningful and allowed me to see the speed and physicality and type of players I would be up against this season.

What is your biggest goal with your game this season? You have been a sniper your whole career, but have also made steps in other parts of your games in the last years?

My biggest goal individually is to show that I can lead a team to a championship. I feel like I’ve showcased my shooting and scoring ability in the past at all different levels, so I really wanted to display my ability to run a team and do whatever is necessary to win the game that particular night.

Your playmaking is one of those. You averaged the most assists per game in Finland. How have you grown as a playmaker in the last 2 years?

I think that is the area I’ve probably grown the most the last 2 years. I was put in situations in Germany and Finland where I had the ball in my hand so much that I was learning little things every game. I came off so many ball screens and saw so many different coverages that I was able to really learn from my own film after every game and get to a point where I felt really comfortable against all types of defenses.

You continue to be an incredible shooter. Are you an elite shooter now or almost there?

I can say it is one of my greatest strengths and something I still put a lot of work into daily. I feel like I’ve played with some elite shooters like Dairis, Ryan Taylor, Bobby Planutis, but I don’t know if somebody can label themselves an elite shooter haha

Last season you played with Lahti Basketball (Finland-Korisliiga) averaging 22.9ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-2 (6.5apg), 1.0spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 42.3%, FT: 92.5%. You had great stats, but the team lost a lot. What did you learn about yourself as a player?

I feel like I was just constantly learning and growing that season. I think that was probably the first time in my career where I really understood that every possession can make or break a game. We lost our fair share of games by only a few points and it made me learn I have to really limit mistakes and find those plays in a game that can really change the momentum

Two seasons ago you played with the Veolia Towers Hamburg (Germany-BBL) playing 4 games averaging 6.3ppg, 1.5apg; and played 8 Eurocup games averaging 6.3ppg, 1.1rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 26.3%, played also at SC Rist Wedel (Germany-ProB) averaging 23.9ppg), 2.8rpg, 4.9apg, FGP: 55.1%, 3PT-1 (45.3%), FT: 78.4%. How vital was this season for your basketball development? Practicing with the BBL team each day and playing games and playing Pro B?

That was the year I kind of got my career back on track after two tough seasons. I really appreciate Coach Blode in ProB giving me such a big role on that team and allowed me to show who I was as a player, but also allowed me to make mistakes and learn on the fly which I think played a big role in my development. Practicing with the Towers everyday was also a big help because of the coaching staff there and the talented players on the roster. Playing against really athletic and talented players each day made it easier to head back to ProB and play against competition that maybe wasn’t at the level of BBL yet.

How vital was a guy like Seth Hinrichs for your game? He is as versatile as you can get and is a great teammate. What could you learn from him best?

Seth is a really great teammate and although we don’t play the same position, he has such a high basketball IQ that it was great to hear any advice he had.

You had many explosive games in the pro B, but also 13 points in 14 minutes against Paris in a Eurocup win. Was that one of your most special games?

That was a big game for me. That was the game where I think I gained a lot of trust from the Hamburg organization and also showed what I was capable of on a larger stage.

You played your second pro season with Aquimisa Carbajosa (Spain-LEB Silver) averaging 15.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 45.7%. After a tough rookie season, you had good stats, but an injury kept you on the sidelines long. What positives could you get from this season?

That was a really tough situation and injury to deal with at that point in my career. I think the biggest positive from that season was the people I met and also it showed me how badly I wanted to be successful with this career. I hardly had any games on my resume after this injury, and it would have been easy to just “retire” at that point, but I was going to do whatever it took to get healthy and back on track.

You split your rookie season with TAU Castello (Spain-LEB Gold) playing 5 games averaging 2.6ppg, in Jan.’21 moved to Afanion CB Almansa (Spain-LEB Gold) averaging 0.5ppg. What do you remember being your wake up call to being overseas where you knew that you were far away from home?

To be honest my wake up call started before I even left the states. I was in Miami getting on my flight to Valencia and they started speaking Spanish on the intercom at the gate and that’s when it started to hit me that I was about to be in a foreign country for the first time.

This was a tough season. What did you learn about yourself that season?

I think I learned I had to change my style of play a little bit from how I was in college if I wanted to be successful.

You played at the University of Minnesota Crookston (NCAA2) from 2016-2020 and left as having scored the most points. You averaged 23,0ppg in 4 years. Were these 4 years some of the best times in your life?

They were definitely a good 4 years. That was some of the most fun I had playing basketball.

You scored in double figures in 109 of 114 games. Your consistency as a scorer was amazing. What kind of a player were you in 2016 and what kind of a player were you when you departed in 2020?

I think my scoring ability was the biggest change in those 4 years. I was a good scorer in 2016, but I wasn’t as good in the ball screen or isolation at that time. By the time I left in 2020, those were my biggest strengths as a player. Every summer I went back home and worked on my game with my trainers and came back to school better the next year, and I feel like we still do the same thing to this day.

You had a 52 point game and numerous 40 plus point games and numerous 30 plus point games. What was your fondest moment on the court?

I’d say winning the first conference tournament game in school history. Nobody expected us to win that night and we went into the opposing teams’ home gym and upset them and that was a great feeling.

How did head coach Bryan Beamish groom and prepare you best for a professional career?

Coach Beam is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. We put a crazy amount of hours in the gym together and dissected a lot of film together as well. He played a huge role in my development and growth as a player.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Ben Juhl?

I’m not sure if we ever played

Who is the best player that you ever battled on the court that reached the NBA?

Probably Jayson Tatum

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Junior Searcy, Chase Johnson, Kendale McCullum, Thorben Meissner, James Padgett

Please name your NBA Mount Rushmore?

Kobe, Lebron, MJ, Steph

Who is your GOAT?

Kobe. There’s players in today’s game with more talent than we’ve ever seen, but nobody will ever have the mentality and killer instinct like Kobe

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?

I did not see that movie Thanks for the interview!

No problem Harrison.