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By Wade Holland

WSR Publisher

 

When he arrived on the Williamstown High School campus as head basketball coach five years ago, Roger Harden was fulfilling a dream he'd had since his playing days as a record-setting point guard at the University of Kentucky were over.

 

And while he knew it would not be easy and the cards were stacked against him, he took the job with the goal of putting Williamstown basketball back on the map.

 

Harden did just that -- and more.

 

Under his leadership, the Demons reached highs the program had not experienced in recent memory. In his second season on the job, Williamstown won double digit games for the second time in a decade and broke a 30+ game losing streak against district opponents. But that was just the beginning for Harden and the Demons.

 

In year four of his tenure, Williamstown won 13 games, the most since Tim Mefford was coach in the early 2000's, and the program was no longer an afterthought in the region. Others were taking notice.

 

But the 2016/17 season was one of the best for the program that anyone can remember, with the Demons compiling a winning record against a beefed-up schedule and advancing to the regional tournament for the first time in 20 years.

In one of  many memoriable moments for the Williamstown High School boys' basketball program during Roger Harden's time with the program, the coach speaks at the press conference for David Jump signing a college scholarship with Saint Catherine College.

Roger Harden makes difficult decision to leave Williamstown after successful five-year tenure

During that campaign, Williamstown beat Simon Kenton for what is believed to be the first time in school history, and won back-to-back games against cross-town rival Grant Co., ending a 27-game losing streak against the Braves.

 

For his efforts, Harden was named the KABC Region 8 Coach of the Year.

 

But after five years, Harden is stepping down from his position to pursue other options. For a man who has faced much adversity in life, the decision to leave Williamstown was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.

 

"It was a very difficult decision because I have gotten very close to my players," he said. "It was especially difficult to talk to them about this decision. We have been through so much over the last five years  We spent a lot of time together in the gym and a lot of time together outside the gym. So this was not an easy decision at all."

 

When Harden arrived at Williamstown, the program was suffering through it's seventh consecutive losing season. The Demons were averaging just five wins per year during that span and had won just one district game in the previous six years. And post-season success was completely non-existent.

 

The program had some talent, but the work ethic and dedication were lacking. There was little to no summer activity, and discipline was a problem from day one. So Harden spent that first year trying to change the atmosphere and was not shy about letting everyone know he was going to run the program the way he saw fit and not fall prey to the politics.

 

"The first year was all about changing the expectations and the culture," he said. "When I first got here the parents and grandparents were allowed to come and watch practices. And the parents and politics played a big role in the program. It was like whoever screamed the loudest, their kids got to play. And there was not a lot of commitment during the summer. We didn't have a weight program. But I was very blessed to have a great principal in David Johnstone, and a great athletic director in T.J. West. They were tremendous for a first-year coach like me. They supported me fully.

 

"In that first year, we had to get the guys to believe in themselves, believe they could win, and could win against bigger school," continued Harden. "We started with some kids that had some hoop dreams. And to get them to believe in basketball and make that commitment is maybe what I'm most proud of. After we got things going, there were very few times that we had the gym open that we didn't have 10-plus of our guys in there working."

 

While the Demons won just three times in Harden's first season, he was extremely proud of the progress. Despite the adversity, the players stuck together and kept doing what Harden asked. Three players in particular, David Jump, J.J. Fernandez and Chaz Jordan, saw the bigger picture and dedicated themselves to the game plan. And Harden credits those three with laying the foundation for where the program is today -- which is among the best in the 32nd District and 8th Region.

 

"D.J, J.J. Fernandez and Chaz Jordan were three that believed in me and what we were doing," said Harden. "The culture at Williamstown tried to break me my first year. But those three guys were the ones to step up and say 'I'm going to believe in this guy'. They wanted to try to do something special. And they did. We won 10 games their senior year when we had not won 10 games in a long time. Those guys deserve a lot of credit for reviving the program."

Harden awards David Jump the game-ball after scoring his 1,000th career point at Williamstown.  Harden credits Jump, who is now at Midway College,  with helping revive the program.

"I have a lot of wonderful memories, but maybe the one memory that I'm most proud of is the day we brought back the 1965 team to recognize them," he said. "I was very proud of the way the school turned out and honored them. To be part of that, with me being an old dog, was very nostalgic for me. 

 

"The Grant Co. wins were a huge psychological boost for us," added Harden. "It wasn't so much that we beat them, it was that we dominated them. It told us that with the right work ethic and right game plan, we could win against those teams. It was huge for our guys and huge for our fans."

 

With the program on the rise and so much potential for success in place, Harden's decision to leave was that much more difficult. The Demons return a wealth of talent, including senior-to-be Brennan Stanley, a superstar who is one of the region's top talents and is closing in on 2,000 points for his career. Stanley will be joined by Harold Fernandez, Wenzie Fox, Chase and Trace Good, Chance Jordan, and Bryce and Brady Montgomery, among others, as players expected to keep the progress going.

 

While he credits all of his players past and present for making him look good as a coach, Stanley is one that always made his job easier, and more enjoyable.

 

"Brennan started some games at the end of his 7th grade year and over the last three years this has really been his team," said Harden. "I was blessed to have a player like Brennan who had the commitment and put all that time and energy into the program. Brennan was also blessed that he had other guys around him that made the same commitment. The way he excelled at such a young age gave the other guys motivation to believe they could do it, too."

 

Harden says he has zero doubt that the pieces are in place for the program to continue to improve and reach even bigger heights under the next coaching staff.

 

"Whoever they bring in, if his commitment is right, there's potential there for great future success," he said. "The first thing any new coach has to do is get in the gym and get to know the players. You have to sell them on the future. Whoever it is, I hope it works out. I wish them nothing but the best. I'm positive the program is in a lot better shape than the way I found it."

 

While he is confident with the direction the program is headed, Harden also recognizes that there are improvements that can be made from non-players that will help take the Demons to the next level. Total commitment to the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back, is where it starts.

 

"I've been a part of Williamstown for five years and the community, school and basketball program will always have a special place in my heart. I do not leave bitter. I am very grateful to Williamstown," Harden said. "But I hope in the future the culture will change. Williamstown has to change it's attitude about how they accept people from the outside. And they need to learn to celebrate the victories of each other. And that is one thing that I tried to do by having our boy's basketball team at other team's games and events. That's something they need to foster more here. Everyone needs to support everyone. You've got a kid like Brennan Stanley who is highly acclaimed, but I think he is probably held in higher reverence and respect in other northern Kentucky towns. I say this to the people of Williamstown, you have to change your attitude. There can't be jealousy, because it effects kids lives and how they feel about each other. And the adults need to be held accountable. I say that with the best of intentions and no malice intended. I only want the best for these guys."

 

So what's next for Harden? Even he's not sure. But with a daughter, Olivia, entering her senior year at Walton-Verona High School, a son, Joe, living just down the road in Georgetown, a daughter, Sarah, finishing up her junior year at Western Kentucky University, a daughter, Allison, living in Lexington, along with his wife, Gina, spending more quality time with the family is a given. He's also sure to make more frequent trips back to Indiana where he is a basketball legend who was the state's Mr. Basketball at Valparaiso High School in 1982. He still has family there as well.

 

"I don't really know what's next," he said. "I've been offered other coaching jobs. But sitting here today I don't believe I will coach. I still do some individual workouts for people. But I've got to get back into the private sector and making some money. But right now I'm really not sure. I'm just taking it one day at a time."

While all three of those players continue to be strong pillars in the community and are individuals that are looked up to by all, the transformation of Jump from a pass-first point guard to one of the best scorers to ever wear the orange and black, played a bigger role in the program's emergence than most realize. Jump led the region in scoring and was second in the state in points per game his senior year. He earned a scholarship from St. Catherine College for his efforts and showed every player in the county that with hard work and dedication, nothing is off limits.      

 

"One thing that disappointed me early on at Williamstown was kids being stereotyped," said Harden. "D.J. was one of those. I found him to be stereotyped by the establishment. You hear things like he didn't have the work ethic, he would not show up at 8 a.m. for practice and to lift weights. But at the end of the day, David Jump's performances and work ethic during his senior year is what ignited things and captured the imagination of what can be accomplished."

 

And while wins over Grant Co. and Simon Kenton stick out to Harden as great memories, along with multiple players receiving college scholarships and three players (David Jump, Jon Jump and Brennan Stanley) joining the school's prestigious 1,000-point club , possibly his most fond memory at Williamstown did not end in a win or loss on the scoreboard.

The senior class  of 1994, (from left to right) David Jump, J.J. Fernandez, and Chaz Jordan. Harden credits the trio with laying the foundation of what is now one of the top programs in the  32nd District and 8th Region.

Williamstown Sports Report is copyright protected by Wade Holland

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