Bellbrook graduation 2012
Fairfield Senior 2012 graduation
Kroger Aquatic Center opens
'I'm a sum-of-the-parts player'
Ohio State senior learned the game here in Springfield under a number of coaches.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Whenever the topic of Springfield comes up, Ohio State senior Ivan Harris smiles and a nostalgic gleam is found in his eye.
Simply put, Ivan loves Springfield. He credits his time here as a major part of who he has become as a player and a person.
Ivan Harris, center, and the other members of the Buckeye's basketball team pose for pictures with the Big 10 Championship trophy Sunday following their victory over Wisconsin. Staff photo by Bill LackeySo with the last weekend of his collegiate career upon him in the Final Four, Harris fondly remembered his roots after practice Tuesday at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center.
"I'm a sum-of-the-parts player," Harris said. "It helped me out to have a little taste of everybody's approach to the game. It made me more of a complete player. Every coach gave me something that made me better."
The parts are many. Many players go through high school and college with just two head coaches. Harris had five: North's Eddie Ford, former South coach Larry Ham, Oak Hill Academy hoops guru Steve Smith and two at Ohio State — Jim O'Brien and Thad Matta.
Harris talked about those parts:
On his days at Northridge Middle School: "Man, that was back in the day. I was probably 6-foot-2, 6-3 then. I've still got tapes of those days. I watch them every once in awhile.
"Coach (Doug) Heskett was my middle-school coach. He always told me to play hard and not leave anything behind. I learned from him how to go full-go all the time."
On his two years at North High School, as a freshman and sophomore: "Eddie Ford was an excellent coach. He taught me a lot about the mental game. Everybody looked down on us because we didn't win a lot of games, but we stayed with it and always gave it everything we had. I learned from him how to be mentally tough."
On his junior year at South High School under Ham: "Coach Ham always stressed the physical game. He taught me how to be tougher."
On transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., for his senior year: "People had their own feelings about it, but it was good for me. And I put those three together (Heskett, Ford and Ham), the things they taught me, and always kept them with me wherever I went."
On what he gained from his Oak Hill Academy experience, which led to being named a McDonald's All-American: "One thing I got was exposure. What can you say? The history behind Oak Hill is incredible. So many great players went there. It was so fun to play in that atmosphere, where you are expected to win every game. It was there where I learned to win. And I played over 30 games, so I learned how to have stamina."
On his decision to play at Ohio State for O'Brien: "After the first look, I knew it. I made one visit and I signed. I felt comfortable here. It was close to home, and that was very important to me. And I'm originally from Columbus. It was the best decision I ever made."
On his transition to Matta's ways (Harris is the only current player in the OSU program on the active roster during the last four years): "I was playing with some of the best players in the country at Oak Hill. Now, it's like Oak Hill all over again. Greg might be the top pick in the NBA Draft. And our guards, Mike and Daequan and Jamar, they are all great players. And look how good our bench is. It's crazy.
"Coach Matta has done a great job bringing in top players. It's fun to be a part of this."
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0364 or krowe@coxohio.com
