Harvey Excited About Return

It’s been a long year for sophomore DJ Harvey as he’s worked his way back on the court from microfracture surgery in February. 

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder was finally cleared to start practicing last week, which meant he missed Notre Dame’s trip to the Bahamas in August. 

Harvey put on an offensive display during Sunday’s practice, and it was a huge positive after the extensive rehab process. 

“It was like six months where I couldn’t even walk on it,” Harvey stated. “I always had to stay off my feet. Once I came back after the six months, it was all quad and hamstring work. It wasn’t until recently I started working out. It was about two practices ago, so I’m getting back in the flow of things, and Coach has made sure I’ve been taking it slow.” 

In 19 games, Harvey averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, but it was challenging to watch how the season went down from the bench. 

“We had the injury bug last year,” said Harvey. “Watching Matt (Farrell) and Bonzie (Colson) go down after I went down was hard. Someone had to step up, and I felt I could have developed into a player to help. There were tough games and losing a few games that were right there.

“The guys were frustrated, and I tried to pick them up and help them out.” 

While the Irish struggled at times last season, Harvey didn’t have a lack of support from his teammates and coaches despite the tough year.

“It was great having teammates that are like brothers,” explained Harvey. “They always made sure to talk to me and kept my head up. Coach Brey and the coaching staff were always checking up on me. We have a therapist to help. It was difficult, but I always had people around me to help.” 

On Sunday, Harvey was hitting shots from three-point range, driving and pulling up to hit mid-range jumpers. It was a complete shock to most in the building as he looked much better than anticipated. 

“It’s been almost a year since I have played,” said Harvey. “It feels good to be back out here. I’m glad to be back.” 

Harvey admitted he wasn’t there with his conditioning, but he has about three weeks to get into game shape. 

“I slowed down a little bit,” laughed Harvey. “I was feeling it halfway through. I feel great.” 

The injury does creep into the back of his mind at times but Harvey’s learning to play through it and will have a chance to get on the floor to see where he’s at as redshirting is still an option on the table. 

“I definitely think about it,” Harvey said. “There’s no cause for concern.” 

“With these new rules, they give us seven games to decide. That helps a lot with possibly redshirting. It’s still up in the air. It depends on how I feel after I feel after seven games.”