Column: It starts now. Marist alum Le’lani Harris helps St. Francis as a freshman with ‘South Side toughness.’

It’s nice to see not much has changed with former Marist standout Le’lani Harris during her freshman women’s basketball season at St. Francis.

Her teammates still call her “Chan,” a nickname she really enjoys but has no idea of its meaning.

And the grit and determination that were a big part of her reputation at Marist?

Oh, yeah. It’s still there.

Exhibit A was on display during a Feb. 4 game against Trinity Christian.

Harris went to take a charge and was accidentally hit in the mouth. St. Francis coach John McGinty remembered she wasn’t exactly thrilled about going to the training room.

“When she came back, she had a towel and she was still bleeding a little bit,” McGinty said. “While she was covering her mouth, the first thing she asked me was, ‘Coach, can I go back into the game?’

“I said, ‘Sure, Chan. We can get you back in there. But you’ve got to smile first.’ She smiled without showing me her teeth. I asked her if it hurt, and she said, ‘Nah, coach.’ I told her that was the South Side toughness in her.”

Harris finished the game with seven points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 26 minutes.

“Yeah, I was like, “All right, let’s get back to it. The show must go on,’” Harris said, laughing. “It’s actually doing OK. I put back in my retainer and everything is in alignment now.

“I have to make an appointment with my dentist, but it’s kind of hard finding time with school and basketball.”

As far as school goes, she started business classes this semester.

“One day, I’d like to be on a sports marketing team, maybe for the Bulls or something,” Harris said. “That would be really exciting.”

As for the basketball, she has really done the South Side proud.

Harris, a 5-foot-9 guard, is averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. Those numbers are sure to increase in the games to come. She has cracked the starting lineup on a team loaded with seniors and graduate students.

“Le’lani has continued to just really grow in her game,” McGinty said. “It’s always been very clear in practice that Le’lani has been one of our more talented offensive players.

“She was always challenging some of our top players. We decided to make the lineup change because we felt Le’lani gave us a different dynamic we needed. We threw her in the fire and she ran with it.”

Harris was first team all-area and special mention all-state for her senior season at Marist. She averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She made 51 3-pointers.

For the RedHawks, “Chan” was a game-changer who rarely left the floor. Her expectations when she walked into St. Francis were realistic.

“With this team, they had such great senior leaders with tons of college experience,” Harris said. “So coming in, I didn’t expect to play the minutes I played in high school.

“I knew I had so much to learn from this great senior class. I just absorbed everything I could and applied it on the court. And things lined up for me.”

Her first start came in a Jan. 21 game against Judson. Harris had eight points and five rebounds as the Saints won 76-60. A few games later, she had her first double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds in an 85-55 win over Roosevelt.

The show has just begun.

“When coach told me I was going to start, I was very excited and super nervous,” Harris said. “Everybody told me to stay calm, that I was in this position for a reason.

“I just thank God for the opportunity. I want to keep taking advantage of it.”