By Matt Florjancik ‘07
BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College senior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference point guard Tom Harrington, a resident of North Royalton, wants to teach health and physical education and be a basketball coach oneday. If the past three years are any indication of Harrington’s ability to be a leader of young men and to success on the basketball court, he is already a success.
To date, Harrington has led the Yellow Jackets to a 5-2 overall record prior to playing Ohio Northern at home last night (Wednesday, Dec. 15) and travelling to Columbus to play Capital University on Saturday (Dec. 18).
The three-year starter at point guard is averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and leads the OAC in assists with 46 for 6.6 per game.
Like many other young and aspiring student-athletes, Harrington tested the waters of several sports as a young child.
"I played a lot of sports when I was younger, and eventually, basketball became my favorite," said Harrington, who carries a 3.4 grade point average and is a team captain for the second straight year. "I play because I enjoy the game."
Harrington grew up playing the game with his father, Tom Sr., and imitating the best the sport had to offer.
"My favorite memory of basketball would probably be playing my dad one-on-one in our backyard," Harrington stated. "I was always [Michael] Jordan, he was always [Larry] Bird when we played."
Along with his parents, Harrington states that his high school coach at Holy Name in Parma Heights, Frank O’Brien, was a big influence on his career.
"My parents showed me the value of hardwork," said Harrington. "Coach O’Brien really taught me a lot about the game of basketball and life in general. I have a tremendous amount of respect for my parents, and for what Coach O’Brien has done for me both as a coach and as a mentor."
The theme of hard work and leadership is the foundation for Harrington’s past and present basketball success, and more importantly for his future success as a teacher and coach.
While at Holy Name, Harrington achieved much success. During his junior year, he was the recipient of the "Mr. Hustle Award" and received an Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Silver certificate as a Scholar-Athlete. As a senior, Harrington was a first-team All-North Coast League choice. Also, he was named to the second-team All-District and honorable mention All-Ohio basketball teams. Along with those honors, Harrington was a Greater Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association All-Star, team captain and Most Valuable Player.
Coach O’Brien knew his point guard had the ability to succeed at the next level.
"Tom’s a very hard worker with great leadership qualities," O’Brien stated. "He’s a self-made player."
When Harrington was in his senior year at Holy Name, his game attracted the attention of Yellow Jacket Head Coach Steve Bankson.
"I liked his on-the-court demeanor and his leadership skills," said Bankson. "He hit a couple shots at the end of games to win them, which indicated to me that he wasn’t afraid to take the shot when the game was on the line."
As he was deciding on where he should attend college, Harrington looked to his coach for guidance.
"I didn’t know where I was going all the way up to April of my senior year of high school," Harrington stated. "I had Coach O’Brien call B-W to arrange a visit and as soon as I came on the visit, I knew it [B-W] was where I wanted to go."
When he got to B-W and began to play the game, Harrington noticed one major difference between the high school and college games.
"In college, everyone’s a good player, whereas in high school, you only have one or two good players on a particular team," Harrington stated.
When it was time to play in his first game, Harrington knew he had realized an important goal.
"I’ve always had the dream of playing in college," Harrington stated. "It was exciting to know that all of the hard work was paying off."
Harrington played in eight games during his freshman season and earned a varsity letter. As a sophomore, he was named the starting point guard and averaged 8.4 points a game as B-W finished 13-13 overall. Last year as a junior, Harrington again started at the point, was tabbed as a team captain and scored 8.6 points per contest as the Yellow Jackets finished 18-8 overall and were natiuonally-ranked much of the season. He also led the OAC with 139 assists and was named to the Academic All-OAC team.
"Tom really matured a great deal from his sophomore year to his junior year," said Bankson, who is the winningest men’s basketball coach in school history. "Tom has always been one of our hardest workers, and now he has added the leadership quality to his resume. He is like having another coach on the floor."
Coming into his final season with the Brown and Gold, Harrington has some goals that he would like to accomplish.
"I just always want to play as hard as I can," said Harrington. "Our team goal is to win the OAC title and earn a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and then make a run at a national title. If any individual honors come from that success, it would be a bonus. The team comes first."
Entering his senior season, Harrington returned as one of the top point guards in both the OAC and NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region. In terms of B-W history, Harrington has already moved into the Top-10 all-time assist makers at the College.
In addition, Harrington’s early-season success this winter has bouyed the Jackets.
At the season-opening Gettysburg College Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament, Harrington scored 23 points, tallied three rebounds and had 13 assists as B-W won the tourney title and he was named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
That success was not a surprise to Bankson.
"Tom worked very hard last summer and it shows. He directs our offense and our defense," Bankson stated. "The best thing about him as a basketball player is the fact that he really is only concerned with the team. If he scores no points or if he scores 15 points, he’s strictly a person that is interested in the welfare of the team."
The success Harrington is experiencing comes as no surprise to his teammates.
"He knows what needs to be done and is able to get that done in any situation, which is a great ability for any leader," said senior forward and fellow tri-captain, Jeremy Coffey (Hudson). "It has been great to play with him because he’s such a hard worker and he motivates everyone else to try and work to his level."
After his career of wearing the Brown and Gold is over, hopefully in late March, Harrington would like to be remembered for putting it all on the line every night.
"I want to be remembered by the way in which I played the game," said Harrington. That I played hard every time I put on the uniform. That I was tried to be the best that I could for B-W."
You can also bet that Harrington will be known as a leader too.
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