Belmont University men's basketball head coach Evan Bradds announced Tuesday, April 7, 2026 the hire of Ja’Darius ‘JD’ Harris as an assistant coach for the Bruin program.
 
Harris worked with Bradds as a member of Jon Scheyer’s staff at Duke during the 2025-26 season.
 
“It is tremendous to have JD join our coaching staff,” Bradds said. “He brings credibility as a high-level college player and we see the game similarly. JD makes instant connections with players and shares my vision for pouring into Belmont to make our players the best they can be.”

Before embarking on his coaching career, Harris played professionally in Lithuania.
 
A native of Trenton, Tennessee, Harris earned All-MEAC honors as a guard for North Carolina Central. He averaged 14.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 steals per game as a senior.
 
Harris posted 29 double figure games, including at Kansas.
 
He was also named to the 2024 HBCU All-Star Game on CBS Sports Network.
 
The 6-2 guard began his playing career at UT Martin, where he competed against Belmont during Ohio Valley Conference play in the 2019-20 season.
 
He received his bachelor's degree in social sciences from North Carolina Central in 2024 and was enrolled in a master's degree program at Duke.

Harris was named 2019 Tennessee Mr. Basketball for Class A after a remarkable run at Peabody High School. He averaged 22.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a senior.