In some ways, Joe Harris is a different person now than when he left Chelan for the University of Virginia three years ago. In other ways, he’s exactly the same.

First, the differences. He’s physically matured, thanks to a lot of hard work, and that extra muscle has helped him greatly this season as he attempts to lead the Cavaliers back to the NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country,” Harris said. “I came here (as a freshman) at 190 pounds or so. I’m up to 225 these days.”

Harris has been challenged to keep that weight on during the season, of course. But the added bulk has assisted his efforts to develop a more well-rounded game.

“That goes back to his work ethic,” said Harris’ father, also named Joe, the Chelan boys basketball coach. “A lot of detractors have said that he can’t play defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but he’s proven from day one that he can play defense, and he continues to do so with the added weight. He can defend guys on the perimeter and on the inside.”

Harris has developed in other ways as well. During his first two years at Virginia, Harris would often defer to his older, more experienced teammates. This season, however, Harris is one of the older, more experienced Cavaliers, and it didn’t take him a lot of time to assume a leadership mantel.

To put it simply, he’s become one of the Cavaliers’ most indispensable players.

“My first couple of years, my role was quite a bit different,” Harris said. “I wasn’t quite as assertive from a leadership standpoint. I didn’t want to step on anybody’s feet. I let the game come to me whenever it was there. This season I’ve been more aggressive. I’ve grown up quite a bit. I’ve been around a great coaching staff and great teammates, and they’ve instilled leadership qualities in me and helped me grow as a person.”

The 6-foot-6 Harris, a junior, leads Virginia in scoring at 15.9 points per game. Most of his other statistics for the 2012-13 season represent career highs — he’s shooting 49 percent from the field, 74 percent from the free-throw line and 47 percent from 3-point range. He’s also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Virginia sits in third place in the ACC with a 7-3 record (17-6 overall).

“I’m fortunate to be where I’m at, playing for the coaches I’m playing for and having the teammates I have,” Harris said. “I get to play basketball in the ACC, and that’s something that as a basketball guru growing up I could only dream about. The reality has been a lot of fun. (The ACC) is the highest level before getting to the big leagues, and night in and night out we’re going against some of the best teams and best players in the country. That’s helped me grow as a lot as a player. It’s been great to compete in these types of environments.”

Harris, a two-time 1A state player of the year, got to know Virginia coach Tony Bennett when Bennett, then the head coach for Washington State, was recruiting Harris to come to Pullman. When Bennett decided to leave the Palouse to take the Virginia job, Harris followed the coach to the East Coast.

Bennett knows that Harris was taking a risk by choosing to join him in Charlottesville and help rebuild the Cavaliers program. It’s a risk that’s worked out beautifully for the player and the coach thus far.

“One of the joys of coaching is seeing young men go away from home a boy and come back a man,” Bennett said. “Joe chose to come across the country because he had a desire to play in this league, he and I had a built a relationship and he liked what the school stood for. When you go that far away from home and uproot yourself, you figure things out on your own. It’s not a bad thing; it forces you in a positive way to figure out who you are.

“There were rough patches early on; I’m sure he thought to himself, ‘What did I get myself into?’ But he’s grown and matured and seen significant development as a player and a person.

“He’s always such a positive guy. Everyone on the team loves him, and he’s so well-liked around the university. The girls like him; he’s a heartthrob. The bottom line is he’s so likeable. He’s not the most vocal guy. He leads by his effort and his actions.”

Harris agrees with Bennett that the player’s development has been aided by his decision to attend school more than 2,500 miles away from home.

“Anytime you make a decision like that, it’s going to be difficult,” he said. “I knew that regardless if I was going (to school) four hours from home or across the country, I wouldn’t be spending a lot of time at home anyway because so much of my time would be devoted to basketball. (Moving far away) helped me grow up and become more independent. It got me outside my comfort zone a bit.”

“No question, it was 100 percent the right move,” said Harris’ father, who travelled to Charlottesville last month to spend a couple of days with Joe and take in the Cavaliers’ game against Florida State. “It’s affected how he’s developed into a young man. Basketball aside, it’s been nothing but a blessing for him to be back there. It wasn’t easy for any of us; we would’ve loved for him to be closer to home. But a chance for him to spread his wings like that and continue to grow was unreal.”

For all of his development on and off the court, though, Harris still retains the same qualities that made him so well-regarded when he was growing up in Chelan.

To all of his family and friends in Chelan, that fact is just as important as the fact that he’s doing well on the court.

“The thing that sticks out in our minds is that we’re extremely proud of Joe for what he’s done,” Harris’ father said. “It proves to everybody that hard work pays off. He’s very driven to succeed at whatever he does. That’s something that I’m not sure that you can teach a lot of people. You’re just born with it. He’s just as intent on making himself better now as he was when he was in high school. He’s as good as anybody I’ve ever coached as far as his intent on improving himself.

“He left here a tremendous young man, and he’s grown up into a man in front of our eyes.”