Going into the 2005-2006 basketball season, the Tucker Tigers has one goal in mind....a state championship.  The Tigers fell slightly short of that goal last year losing in the title game.  In his fifth season as the head coach, James Hartry is climbing that mountain once again, but intends to plant his flag at the top this go round.

Walking into the Tiger’s Den, one voice and one man stands out.  There is no question about who’s the head man in charge around these parts.  That man is head coach James Hartry.  Upon meeting the Clark Atlanta University graduate, you can already sense that coaching is in his blood by the way he shakes your hand and looks you in your eyes when he speaks, like he’s about to ask you to suit up and give him a solid double-double for the night. 

Hartry attributes his innate knack for coaching to his upbringing.  Let him tell it, “the Hartry’s put basketball on the map down in Milledgeville”, which is about an hour drive outside of Atlanta.  But coming up in a family where everyone around you attends college on a basketball scholarship, I guess you’re bound to have a little basketball in you.  But be clear, Hartry knows running a team is a lot more than X’s and O’s.  This is evident when you see him interact with his players on and off the court.  “Everyday I’m a role model to these guys.  I play that father role.  I even call these guys when they’re at home.  They call me.  They know my family.  They are apart of my family.  These guys are like my sons.” 

Hartry also recognizes what goes on in his players’ lives and uses that personal relationship to help his players develop the goods on and off the court to make it to the next level.  And for this coach, that next level is a four year education.  “We don’t even talk about the NBA.  I feel like that a college education is the best thing that can happen to a kid, boy or girl.  A kid graduating from high school in this day and age who doesn’t go on to get a higher education is more likely to get lost in the shuffle.  So I stress the importance of a higher education to these guys everyday.  I’m serious about my academics.”

Hartry certainly has an impact on his players in more ways than one.  He’s the coach, first and foremost, but he is also a father figure.  And that's a role he relishes in.  He certainly doesn’t stroke egos but he makes each player feel that their role is essential to their goal of winning a state championship, which quickly brings his focus back to basketball. 

With the King on his side, Hartry has reason for optimism.

On the court, his focus is enjoyable.  His aggressiveness is playful.  His kids know what it all means.  No matter the approach, his players know when its time to play ball.  “They respect me because I respect them.  They know how I feel about them away from the court.  I don’t worry about them on the court.  They know how to play basketball.  But the respect I give them off the court makes them respect me on the court.” 

Ultimately, Hartry would like to return to his alma-mater to call the shots.  For now, his focus is on Tucker High School, a state championship, his players, and their success after basketball, with the latter of the two being most important.  From the players, to the trainers, to the parents, to the kids who hang around just because they like him, it’s obvious that in their eyes, he’s the man. And that man is the head coach James Hartry.

Klapp's Kall:  It takes alot for a man to be a coach and a role model for a group of young guys.  When it's all said and done, it takes a great man to be a great coach.  Great Coach! 

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