Dennis Tate and I have been coaching basketball together for over 35 years, most of them at Cherryville High School. The last 14 years we have coached with one of the best high school coaches in the state, Scott Harrill. He was voted Coach of the Decade (2000-2010) by the readers of the Gaston Gazette. Since he took over the head coaching position in January, 2000 he has led the Ironmen to 287 wins and only 98 losses. Michael Powel wrote a story about Scott and I would like to share it with friends. Harrill makes known why he coaches by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael.cherryvilleeagle@gmail Like many of his coaching brethren, CHS Ironmen basketball head coach Scott Harrill waves off any suggestions that he is on his way to “big numbers” when it comes to his “win-loss” ratio. He will instead give all the credit to his able coaching staff – no “pikers” in their own numbers realm, or he will praise his many teams and their players all the more. But, if you know Harrill, thats just the kind of guy he is. Currently at 270 wins (and counting), he is on track to reach and possibly surpass the 300-mark next season. He will then be in the ranks of some all-time Gaston County coaching wizards and their records. He is, he will admit grudgingly, in some pretty rarified company. He is very thankful to his God, his family, his peers, his staff, his school, and last but not least, his many young men he has coached and helped mentor along the way. When he was recently asked why he endures the long hours, the time away from my own family, the sometimes unrealistic expectations of parents, the unrelenting criticism and second-guessing, he said simply, “I do it to make a difference in the lives of those young people! The greatest reward I receive in coaching is not hoisting championship trophies, hanging banners, or receiving honors, but in visiting with former players when they make an effort to come back to see me and bring their spouses and children to meet me. “When I get a wedding invitation in the mail or the college graduation announcement. When I get the phone call asking me for advice or sharing in great news. When I get the phone call telling me about their new job. To hear them say that I helped make them better, that they appreciate what I taught them!” Harrill noted it’s all about the relationships built through the blood, sweat, and tears that happen every day on the court. “That they know I truly cared and they saw me live out my faith both on and off the court. That they learn how to love their family and have their family involved in their work with them. That they also wanted a relationship with Christ and let Him be their Coach for life!” He also noted having the support of his wife, Teresa and my two boys, Trevor and Lane, who have grown up in the locker room, is a tremendous help. “Also, to have loving parents who rarely miss a game is a blessing,” he said, adding, “and to have a community who supports these young men puts a smile on their face when they need it the most.” “Blessed beyond measure!” Coach Harrill knows he has been “blessed beyond measure” to have so many young men come through a program that was here long before him and will be here long after he said he has passed. “Just to be a part of a tradition like the Cherryville Ironmen basketball family is an honor,” he said. How it all started It started for Harrill, he said, as an assistant on the 1999-2000 Sectional Championship team that saw Tabarrac Bell set scoring records in the regionals. It continued by his becoming the head coach of the Ironmen in 2000 after long-time friend, coach, and mentor David Watkins passed away from cancer. “It would not be possible without the help of long-time, and faithful, coaches to work with in Dr. Bud Black and Dennis Tate,” Harrill noted, adding, “It continued with a 2001 Christmas tournament championship and a 2003 Christmas tournament championship in which we were not only stacked with a team of 1,000 point scorers in Antone Little, Kenneth Harris, and Jason Browne, but an undersized trio of John Ferguson, Chris Harris, and Casey Rainwater, who all rose to the top.” Harrill said that crew won conference and sectional championships as they led the coming-on of Brandon Thomas (a current assistant coach) and Antonio Griggs (Chavis Middle Schools head coach). “Through those years those guys won over 90 games in a four year period.” Griggs became a leader who also scored over 1,000 points in his career. Harrill said the Ironmen continued winning conference championships along the way and in 2007 captured another sectional title with a great group of players led by Justin Johnson, Cameron Lovelace, and Tyler Buff (who has worked on the CHS staff). “All three of these young men went to college on basketball scholarships.” The 2007 and 2008 teams were always ranked in the top five in the state. During the 2008-2009 season the Ironmen went back to the sectionals, led by Terry Whisnant, II, Thomas Bess, and Darius Howell. “This would be another three Ironmen who went to college on scholarships,” he said. A tough time for Coach “The night after a Brandon Heavner game-winning shot at Nantahala (High School) may have been one of my toughest nights in coaching,” he said, “as on that early Sunday morning I got a phone call from Darius Howell about his father being unresponsive at home. “To hug a child, knowing he lost his world, coming from a single family home, was very difficult. We waited at the hospital until the doctor came out and told us both that Mr. Howell had passed away.” Harrill said more conference championships come and go, but it still remains the relationships and friendships with each of the young men he cherishes most. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching some tremendously talented basketball players, with some scoring the over 1,000 point milestone,” he said. “Those are Terry Whisnant II, Justin Johnson, Thomas Bess, Cameron Lovelace, Jason Browne, Antone Little, Kenneth Harris, Antonio Griggs, and Darius Howell. “Some defensive players who really stick out in my mind are Griggs, Chris Harris, Brock Alexander, Buff, Bess, and Trent Friday. “Captains of many of these teams were Patrick Kiser, Taylor Rainwater, Antone Little, Maurice Hunt, Matt McDermid, Kenneth Harris, Browne, Chris Harris, Brandon Thomas, Antonio (Griggs), Justin (Johnson), Lovelace, Tyler (Buff), Darius (Howell), Terry (Whisnant, II), Thomas (Bess), Kenny Poston, and Rhyer Davis.” Harrill said he knows CHSs Ironmen basketball teams have had some who have graduated law school (Antone Little, Marcus Carpenter, and Chris Craft); had some become coaches (Chris Harris, Antonio Griggs, Brandon Thomas, and Tyler Buff); and had some become policemen (Brock Alexander and Kenneth Harris). “We have had many to serve in the military,” Harrill noted. “All in all, what a great joy to know and remember something special about each young man that wore the Cherryville Ironmen basketball uniform! “And THATs why I coach!”
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 02:08:44 +0000
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