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A Return Letter to the farewell letter from Wake Forest guard C.J. Harris

I should have never expected anything less from C.J. Harris, who took the time to write this thoughtful letter, in which he expresses his gratitude to the Demon Deacon fan base. In his letter he writes, "I have you, the fans, to be thankful for. Your endless support and generosity gave me the courage to never give up." With all due respect, C.J., we the fans are the ones who should be thanking you.

By Robert Reinhard
USA TODAY Sports

Dear C.J.,

Your dedication to our great university never wavered during your four years. During a time in which there in which there were 8 early dismissals or transfers over the course of two seasons, you were the steady rock that held our team together.

Our fan base, and ACC fans everywhere, saw you develop from a jump-shooting freshman into a senior who had a full offensive arsenal. I couldn't have been happier for you that you got to experience great home wins your senior year over teams like Virginia, North Carolina State and the #2 Miami Hurricanes. It was only fitting in that NC State win that you battled injury, returned, and hit clutch free throws that helped seal the deal over an in-state rival.

It was only fitting in the victory over Miami that you went 5-5 from beyond the arc and had 23 points. It was only fitting in your final home game that you went 6-6 from beyond the arc against Virginia Tech to finish with 29 points.

In today's college basketball world of one and done's, it's always refreshing to be able to watch a player grow for four years at your alma mater. I have no problem with players like Chris Paul or Al-Farouq Aminu who left after their sophomore years to go to the NBA. If players are ready, then they are welcome to go. But it is special to watch players like yourself and Ishmael Smith wear our school's colors proudly for four seasons. It was great to see the fans show you the appreciation you deserved on your Senior Night.

I don't have a crystal ball and couldn't tell you exactly what the future holds for you C.J., but I am a firm believer in the phrase "how you approach anything is how you approach everything." If you approach the rest of your life, like I've seen you approach the past four years, then you're going to be very successful doing whatever you choose to do the rest of your life.

We wish you nothing but the best moving forward. Know that you will always be missed, but that you will always be welcome back home.

Forever a Deac.

Sincerely,

Tie-Dye Nation

Final Statistics from C.J. Harris' career. Thanks to our own Zach Stone for taking the time to do this research.

-1613 Points Scored, 17th all-time
-282 Assists, 15th all-time
-83.4% FT%, 8th all-time
-533 FTs Made, 6th all-time
-639 FTs Attempted, 8th all-time
-162 3-pointers Made, 7th all-time
-417 3-pointers Attempted, 7th all-time
-124 Games Played, 14th all-time
-114 Games Started, 7th all-time
-3975 Minutes Played, 4th all-time