INDIANAPOLIS — No matter what, Tyasha Harris’ routine doesn’t change.
It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t get in the game at all or if she plays 30 minutes in a start. She approaches each day, each game, the exact same way.
“It’s just being a pro at the end of the day,” Harris, who started in place of an injured Caitlin Clark, said following the Fever’s 111-87 win on Saturday. “You never know when your numbers are going to be called, you got to control what you can control. My number was called today, and I was ready to go out there. I put in the work outside practice, in practice, just being ready for whenever your number’s called.”
And that’s why Fever coach Stephanie White has such confidence in her seven-year veteran backup.
“(She has) experience,” White said pregame. “She’s been around the league, she brings composure.”
Buy 2026 Indiana Fever tickets!
Harris played for White for two years, including as her starting point guard in Connecticut in 2024. She signed in Dallas for the 2025 season, but only played in five games before she needed to have season-ending knee surgery — something she was still working back from when she signed a one-year, $400,000 deal with the Fever for 2026.
She got back into game shape during the Fever’s training camp and preseason, but her minutes have fluctuated so far, going from someone who was a solid part of the rotation at the beginning of the season to picking up multiple DNP – Coach’s Decision’s as rookie guard Raven Johnson has progressed into a more and more reliable guard.
But she always stays ready. She’s always someone that White can count on. That’s why she got the start in Clark’s absence.
“(Harris is) in a unique spot as Raven develops, and we have a lot of guards, and there’s not a ton of minutes to be had,” White said. “But I told her in the locker room that it’s so important to have somebody that you know you can trust, that can come out and run the team like that. She has been vocal all year long, she’s been engaged, she continues to be engaged, and she continues to be ready when she gets an opportunity, and that’s huge.”
Harris opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, breaking her out of what was a funk beyond the arc to start the season (she was 2 of 20 from 3-point range coming into Saturday’s game). She matched her season high of seven points in the first quarter, and continued to be the facilitator the Fever needed with Clark out.
She ended up playing 30 minutes, helping facilitate both the starting lineup and the young players, including rookie Grace VanSlooten and development player Bree Hall, when they entered with the Fever up 30 in the third and fourth quarters.
She finished with 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, for 16 points, along with five rebounds and three assists.
“It meant everything to me,” Harris said. “I mean, I feel like I’m coming off an injury from last year, I wanted to get on the floor and contribute to my team in any way that I can. My number was called today, and it went well for me, so it meant everything.”
The Fever have eight straight days off, which will aid in Clark’s ability to rest and recover, but White said at practice Friday that she has “no indication” of how long Clark will be out with her back injury.
But if Clark does need to be out for a significant amount of time, White knows she has a veteran she can trust to hold down the point guard position until Clark gets back.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever point guard delivers in Caitlin Clark’s absence: ‘You know you can trust’ Ty Harris
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
