Craig Larson Jr.
March 20, 2025.
Updated 10:25 p.m. ET
Jim Harrick had so many great moments in college basketball that it’s hard to narrow down just one.
While I recall watching from afar the O’Bannon brothers leading that special UCLA squad to their first national championship since the Wooden years, it was a few years later that I met Coach Harrick in person in what could only be described as a magical weekend in Oklahoma City.
You might remember the Lamar Odom, Cuttino Mobley, and Tyson Wheeler-led Rams, who beat Murray State and were top-seeded in the first two rounds.
This set up an intriguing St. Louis regional matchup between regional matchup Rhode Island and Valparaiso. The Beacons, coached by Hall of Famer Homer Drew, had also advanced after several upsets. Valparaiso’s star player was current Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew. Now Baylor coach Scott Drew was an assistant along with Jim Harrick Jr., who was sadly lost in 2023 following a two-year battle with a brain tumor.
Rhode Island advanced but came up just two points short against Stanford in the Elite 8. I had a chance to catch Coach Harrick and reminisce about his life in basketball.
Craig: Can you believe it’s been 30 years since you won it all with UCLA?
Jim: On the 25th anniversary, we had a Zoom call. Guys were all over the country, and it went about 3 hours—one of the best nights of my life. The bonds you build when you win a championship are unbreakable. It is everlasting; we relive the 4th of April, and everyone texts each other; it is just a great time. To watch the tournament each year & know we all won one of those is wonderful. A lot of Bruins remember that team. I still get letters and pictures to sign even 30 years later. I watch the Edney tape a lot. The championship game may happen once a year, and one shining moment still gives me chills.
Craig: The path is never easy, even if you’re a #1 seed. The real scare came in Boise, Idaho, in the 2nd round vs. Missouri. What do you most remember about those final moments?
Jim: The thing I remember most about that game is when Missouri made the shot with 4.8 seconds left. Five guys called time out, and all started walking toward me, staring me right in the eyes. There were ten sets of eyeballs fixated on me-saying Help us, we are in big trouble. I remember driving around that summer, and it hit me hard. That might have been the defining moment of my coaching career. I had watched Jerry West go the length of the floor with the Lakers in three seconds. I was the coach at Morningside HS then, and we used to work on that; I gave them four seconds. I took that with me through all my college coaching years. In my first year at UCLA, we got beat when an opposing player went the length of the floor in five seconds. We also lost to the Fab 5 in the second round when Edney stole the ball with the score tied. He went in for the layup and passed to Ed O`Bannnon, but Jimmy King knocked the ball out of bounds. We got into overtime, and they beat us.
We went to a pro practice where they gave the ball to a player under the basket, and he had to turn and go the length of the floor while being guarded and making the shot. We practiced that once a week, but no one could do it. Edney was so good at it. Everyone tried to guard him, and he was like the roadrunner; he just blasted to the rim and made the shot, so I knew he could do it. I told Tyus to take the ball; they would not foul you because they were only up one. “take it to the rim,” I said to Edney. “Do you have a crystal clear understanding of what I said?” He answered, “You want me to shoot the ball?” I said, “Absolutely!” A great player made a great play.
Craig: Ed O’Bannon and Tyus Edney grabbed a lot of the headlines, which was understandable, but you had a pair of great freshmen in Toby Bailey and J.R. Henderson who made contributions, did you not?
Jim: Toby Bailey, in our second game, got three minutes. I always told my players to make me play you, and he did. Toby finally started a game in late February and took our fast break to a new level. He just kept getting better and better and ended with 26 points in the National Championship game. J.R. Henderson, at 6`9”, could play every position; in fact, he was our #3 point guard; he started every game until I changed to Bailey. Those two players were crucial to our team and bailed us out game after game. They were freshmen and spotty, but they helped us so much.
Craig: Bob Myers was a reserve on that title team. Did you know he’d eventually become a high-level GM in the NBA?
Jim: Anyone who knew Bob Myers knew he would succeed in whatever field he entered. He was mature beyond his years. He may have been a walk-on, but it was very soon that he became a scholarship player. He was big, strong, tough, and no one could push him around. We were playing Oregon State at home and playing so badly that I took all five starters and put the reserves in, and I immediately saw Bob gather them together. They erased an eight-point lead and put us ahead by four. Now, I am a coach who likes to have his starters in at the end of the half and the start of the second half, so I took the reserves out with a four-point lead. Fans booed me, but we eventually won the game, and Bob Myers was the reason. I never wavered when putting him in the game. He was such a leader in the locker room, such a great human being.
Craig: Do you find it surprising that the Bruins haven’t been able to capture another title since you cut down the nets?
Jim: Between 1975 and 1995, 20 years went by, and the Bruins did not win one. Since `95, it has been 30 years. It seems unreal that the bastion of college basketball is not relevant anymore. Certainly, the landscape has changed, but a lot of schools have adjusted. I truly believe they will win another one; I’m just not sure when.
Craig: Could you have recruited as effectively as you did in this current NIL environment?
Jim: Could I have recruited in today`s environment? I truly hope so and genuinely believe that I could. All through my years in college, you had a changing landscape. As a coach, your ability to change with the changing times was a key factor in your success. A head coach wears many hats, and you have to be a manager of your time, try to cover every aspect of the program, and be responsible for everything that happens in the program. Every aspect of your personality is exposed to the public. Some like you, and some do not. You better have thick skin. In every city I go into, it seems to me that the coach is getting ridiculed.
Craig: Who would you like to win it all next month in San Antonio?
Jim: I would like to see if Houston will do it all. Kelvin Sampson was the coach at Washington State when I was at UCLA: fantastic guy and an excellent coach. After the league tournaments, Florida looked to be the best team. But your squad changes each week. This is a turkey shoot. I was trying to fill a bracket today and picked about seven upsets. I want to see Tennessee and Rick Barnes if Houston can’t win. He is one of the classiest and friendliest coaches in the game today.
Also, how good is Rick Pitino? What he has done at that school, [St. John’s] got the Garden rocking!!!!
