Kev Moyé
News-Times Staff
EL DORADO – Change is inevitable.
It's among the few constants of life.
Need proof, ask Stephen Harshaw.
He becomes emotional when pondering over his new endeavor.
The former El Dorado girls basketball coach will soon relocate to Shreveport, La.
Harshaw will remain in coaching, but he'll have a different responsibility. The El Dorado native will be an assistant boys basketball coach at Southwood High School.
"I'm excited about this position. I would not have left for just anything," he said. "But this was something I was going to have to do for the sake of my upcoming marriage. I'm blessed to have received a good job. But nothing will be better than the last seven years. I'll be LCB deep down inside, no matter what school colors I'm wearing."
Seven successful years as coach of the Lady Wildcats provided a litany of great memories. In the process, Harshaw developed a solid rapport with his players, coaches, and Lady Wildcat fans. That's why Harshaw is content with his time in El Dorado.
"What I'm most proud of is not the on-court success, but the growth, maturity, and academic success we've had over the past seven years," he stated. "The kids were great. I've also had an amazing coaching staff to work with. Those two things combined, made my decision to leave very tough."
Under Harshaw, the chief principle of LCB was discipline. Being disciplined and mentally tough set the stage for the program to reach elite status.
"We as coaches used basketball as a tool to teach true life skills," he stated. "When the players complete their four years of high school, they have many years to live and to try to be successful."
In regard to success, during the genesis of Harshaw's regime a pivotal development took place: The players recognized that his ploys were effective.
Thus, Harshaw quickly earned the Lady Wildcats' trust.
"Once we got into the season, and the kids saw that what we were doing had caused them to be more successful than we had ever been, it was easy to get them to buy-in," the coach said. "That early success bred commitment and that made my job easier. Now, had I come in and struggled – things might have been different. But fortunately, that wasn't the case."
Several years removed from his initial season at El Dorado, Harshaw remains convinced that the 2010 team could've earned a state crown.
"We should have won it in 2010, my first year at El Dorado. But falling short in 2010 taught us a lesson about mental toughness, being coachable," he said. "The experience from falling short, solidified the lessons we were trying to teach during my first year.
"But that senior class of 2011 was led by Whitney Frazier. She did an excellent job as a leader. She wasn't the only difference-maker. Bria Snowden is one of the most mentally tough kids I've ever coached. Kenedria Andrews, Jasmine Tubbs, Emiliy Sinclair, were an amazing group of leaders. Their teammates followed along. That was also the most dedicated team I had. That core group never missed practice."
The seniors on the 2011 squad – elevated LCB to a higher level, according to Harshaw.
"The state championship team of 2011 showed that it's not all about skill. We were actually much more talented in 2010. We had eight seniors that year and seven received college basketball offers," he said. "So we lost a ton of talent from the 2010 team. But the 2011 team shows it's about so much more than athletic ability or basketball skill when it comes to playing at a championship level."
The Lady Wildcats were unable to claim another state crown during Harshaw's tenure. However, his teams often amassed a quality win-loss percentage.
When a team is successful, fun memories and good times are bound to transpire.
With that in mind, what will Harshaw miss the most about coaching the Lady Wildcats?
"Helping girls develop a confidence in themselves. Teaching them the toughness that's required in the "real world". I'm going to miss working with the girls from that regard," he answered. "I am going to miss the really good community support. But overall – I'm going to miss my kids. I'll stay in touch. I'll be involved in any way that I can, that doesn't overstep my boundaries with there being a new coach.
"It's not the end. It's just a slightly different relationship."
Harshaw is grateful for the individuals who made coaching the Lady Wildcats a special experience.
"I want to thank the people who hired me. This wouldn't have been possible, if not for Mr. Bob Watson, who was the superintendent at the time, Mr. Phillip Lansdell – and everyone who was involved in making the decision to give me a chance. To that point of my career, I had not coached girls before. At that time, I was not a big-time winning coach. But they took a chance on me.
"I definitely want to thank my mom and dad who've supported me no matter what I've done. They made it easy for me to come back home. I want to thank the parents and the kids. The parents trusted me with their daughters and allowed me to be tough on them. They trusted me and bought-in to what coach Sharonda Davis-Brooks, coach Wendell Cartwright and I were trying to do for them."
Harshaw expressed special gratitude for Davis-Brooks, and her impact on the program.
"I want to thank coach Davis-Brooks, she's been here since day one. I could not have did anything without her," he acknowledged. "She really is the bridge between the girls and I. She helped me to understand the players, and also helped them to understand me."