Growing up, he hung out with UI basketball players. CHAMPAIGN — Aaron Harris first became a part of the Fighting Illini family as an Urbana eighth-grader in 1999. His neighbor and mentor, Joe Cross, played for Lon Kruger's basketball team and would let his little buddy tag along at practices and play ball boy. "I got to hang out with Cory Bradford, Frank Williams, all those guys," Harris said. read more