UCLA Basketball: Former Champion Bruins Coach Given Tribute At Local Prep School

A Bruins legend visited a local prep school to inspire students.

There might not be anything more inspiring than a legend of the sport visiting your school to inspire you. That is exactly what happened when former UCLA Bruins legend Jim Harrick visited Damien High School. 

Damien High holds an annual tournament that features the best HS players from around the nation. We imagine Harrick's speech was rousing, as the man has had a stellar career in coaching college-level basketball. 

Former UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick, who won the 1995 national title, honored at Damien on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/ylWsXm6WrJ

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) December 28, 2023

Harrick was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins between 1988-1996. His coaching prowess would lead to the Bruins securing a national title in 1995. Their 31-2 record was incredible, and it also led to Harrick securing a Pac-10 Coach of the Year award. 

Harrick likely imparted his wisdom to the young minds attending Damien for The Classic Tournament. 

We imagine that many of the HS students who are engaging in tournament play at Damien will be attempting to carve out their plans to join the many colleges in the country and nationwide. UCLA has a stellar program, and Harrick is a testament to the school's long-standing pride. 

The Classic at Damien features 128 teams from across the nation, who are broken up into the Silver, Bronze, Green, Copper, and Iron divisions. There are also the Gold, Diamond, and Platinum divisions, all vying to win their respective brackets. 

We imagine getting words of encouragement from a Bruins legend went a long way in pumping the tournament players up.