TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Roger Harden To Coach Williamstown High

This is topic Roger Harden To Coach Williamstown High in forum UK / NCAA Basketball at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=026716

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-02-2012, 12:58 PM:

Can't believe Harden is 48 years old. Time sure flies when your a Kentucky fan. It seems like yesterday he was playing the point for Kentucky.

Roger Harden, who was a standout point guard at Kentucky in the 1980s, is the new boys' basketball coach at Williamstown High School.

"I'm just thrilled about being back in the game, and being back in the gym every day," Harden said. "In my heart, I've always wanted to coach."

Harden's wife, Gina, is from Williamstown, which is in Grant County, so it will be a homecoming for her.

Williamstown Athletics Director Tommy West said Harden's résumé "jumped off the page, with all that he's done. This is a big hire, a big deal, to get somebody of his stature, especially at a small school like ours."

Harden played high school ball at Valparaiso, Ind., where he was a McDonald's All-American and Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1982.

He was a three-year starter at point guard at UK and set a single-season school assist record as a senior in 1985-86.

Harden was a UK assistant under Eddie Sutton in the late 1980s. He coached Indiana AAU teams in the 1990s.

Harden said in recent years he has done some youth and middle school AAU coaching and "countless individual instruction" with young players.

Harden succeeds Steve Sigmon as Demons coach. Sigmon stepped down because of health reasons.

Harden met with the Williamstown players on Monday and "was very impressed with their enthusiasm."

The Demons, who play in the 8th Region, haven't had a winning season since 2004-05, so Harden realizes the challenges ahead.

"It's going to be a building process, for sure," he said. "They've never had a strength or conditioning program, so we're going to introduce the players to that."

Link

[ 05-02-2012, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 05-02-2012, 01:55 PM:

I thought Harden was a 2-guard, not a point. Wow. memory sure is a fickle thing...

Posted by Wildcat Bill (Member # 615) on 05-02-2012, 02:30 PM:

I think that Harden was a point guard. He played with Ed Davender and James Blackmon I think. Maybe also with Jim Master. Dicky Beal was also a UK point guard around his freshman or sophomore year, I think. I remember him for always listening to Coach Hall but having his head turned and, when Eddie Sutton was coaching, wearing Converse shoes (his dad worked for Converse) while the rest of the team wore Nikes.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-02-2012, 05:10 PM:

Harden definitely was a point guard and as a senior averaged 6.4 assists per game. Check out the Link for his Kentucky stats.

Link

Posted by FlaCatz (Member # 925) on 05-03-2012, 08:12 PM:

OMG, My brother called me this afternoon to tell me.."I'm on the road in Springfield OH).. Williamstown is our alma mater, as a DEMON is where we (All my brothers), oldest son, cut our teeth, skinned our knees, and ran the stairs for "borrowing" the drivers ed car to go get lunch.......

Williamstown is a small Class A school, my graduating class was 22 students. We have sister-inlaws, cousins etc..... all teaching there... and YES this is HUGE news...

Historically the Williamstown Demons program has "struggled"..... tremendously.... [Frown]

with about, maybe a 20% winning percentage while our arch rival Grant County HS, 4 miles down the road ALWAYS had the bigger pool and the bigger fish to choose from.

Hopefully having Hardin as the coach will entice a bigger selection of fish to jump the dam and swim in our pool.. I am very excited about this hire.