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A Pensacola-area longtime boys basketball coach is stepping down.
Pensacola High's Terrence Harris, who's been at the helm of the Tigers' boys basketball team for the last 15 years, announced this week that he is stepping down from the position. The now-open position at Pensacola now becomes one of a handful throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for basketball.
Harris said he's "comfortable with where (he is)," making the decision to resign from boys basketball. Harris won the PNJ Boys Basketball Coach of the Year a few times, including in 2014 and 2016. The latter featured an appearance in the Class 6A state semifinals.
"Coaching begins to get a little bit more challenging, and probably not as easy as it used to be. There was a balance between enjoying every day of coaching, practicing and the whole grind. It's a daily grind that requires a lot of energy. It's not just the normal season anymore, adding in the preseason, postseason, fundraising," Harris told the PNJ. "Right now, I feel it's probably the best time to step down. I've put a lot of time in as a coach in high school, and I just look forward to what the Lord has in store for me next."
Harris, a Pensacola alum who was a standout at the University of West Florida in the mid-1990s – and is still fourth all-time in career points for the Argos – is no stranger to coaching in Northwest Florida, either, having coached at Booker T. Washington, as well, and has been a head coach for 19 years total.
He joined the high school ranks after a stint of professional basketball in Mexico, Iceland and Lebanon, plus a handful of years as an assistant coach at what was then known as Pensacola Junior College. Harris said he enjoyed the longevity of being a coach at one place for 15 years, especially in a modern age where coaches may only be around for a few seasons at a time.
That's allowed Harris to coach a lot of siblings over the years, he mentioned, and build bonds with players both on and off the court. It's the same thing he looks for in coaches now, since he's also Pensacola's athletic director.
"I'm an old-school coach. Every coach has their own coaching style. I was coached hard-nosed and tough. To navigate the kids today in terms of how they want to be coached, and trying to get the most out of them, is critical. Over time, to coach kids and brothers, I've had a variety of players who have come through the program," Harris said. "Families have stuck around. ... It's been a great experience for me in terms of developing relationships with kids for many years over the course of 19 years."
Harris is staying on as Pensacola's athletic director, which means he has been on the search committee for his own replacement. He said it was a "little weird" looking for the person that would fill his shoes. The official announcement for the next head coach will be on Monday, April 21.
"But I tried to keep an open mind and open opinion when it came to hiring the next coach," Harris said. "That part was definitely tough, being a part of that process."
But in a meeting with players, telling them that he wouldn't be back as the team's head coach for the 2025-26 season, Harris noted it was probably tougher for him than it was his players, just given the state of how high school athletics are nowadays.
"They're happy kids. They're enjoyable. They like to have fun. For me, to give up something I've done for so long, it was probably harder for me than it was for them. But I assured them that we'd hire someone that would come in with the same amount of passion to coach and lead them," Harris said. "That's been the journey for me at Pensacola High School, being able to see the boys develop into men and to see how they carry on in their lives. That's probably the most rewarding part in high school athletics, and probably the most important part. ... As a coach, you know you've won at life when you see the lives those kids have beyond high school."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola High boys basketball head coach Terrence Harris resigns
Continue reading...
Pensacola High's Terrence Harris, who's been at the helm of the Tigers' boys basketball team for the last 15 years, announced this week that he is stepping down from the position. The now-open position at Pensacola now becomes one of a handful throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for basketball.
Harris said he's "comfortable with where (he is)," making the decision to resign from boys basketball. Harris won the PNJ Boys Basketball Coach of the Year a few times, including in 2014 and 2016. The latter featured an appearance in the Class 6A state semifinals.
"Coaching begins to get a little bit more challenging, and probably not as easy as it used to be. There was a balance between enjoying every day of coaching, practicing and the whole grind. It's a daily grind that requires a lot of energy. It's not just the normal season anymore, adding in the preseason, postseason, fundraising," Harris told the PNJ. "Right now, I feel it's probably the best time to step down. I've put a lot of time in as a coach in high school, and I just look forward to what the Lord has in store for me next."
Harris, a Pensacola alum who was a standout at the University of West Florida in the mid-1990s – and is still fourth all-time in career points for the Argos – is no stranger to coaching in Northwest Florida, either, having coached at Booker T. Washington, as well, and has been a head coach for 19 years total.
He joined the high school ranks after a stint of professional basketball in Mexico, Iceland and Lebanon, plus a handful of years as an assistant coach at what was then known as Pensacola Junior College. Harris said he enjoyed the longevity of being a coach at one place for 15 years, especially in a modern age where coaches may only be around for a few seasons at a time.
That's allowed Harris to coach a lot of siblings over the years, he mentioned, and build bonds with players both on and off the court. It's the same thing he looks for in coaches now, since he's also Pensacola's athletic director.
"I'm an old-school coach. Every coach has their own coaching style. I was coached hard-nosed and tough. To navigate the kids today in terms of how they want to be coached, and trying to get the most out of them, is critical. Over time, to coach kids and brothers, I've had a variety of players who have come through the program," Harris said. "Families have stuck around. ... It's been a great experience for me in terms of developing relationships with kids for many years over the course of 19 years."
Harris is staying on as Pensacola's athletic director, which means he has been on the search committee for his own replacement. He said it was a "little weird" looking for the person that would fill his shoes. The official announcement for the next head coach will be on Monday, April 21.
"But I tried to keep an open mind and open opinion when it came to hiring the next coach," Harris said. "That part was definitely tough, being a part of that process."
But in a meeting with players, telling them that he wouldn't be back as the team's head coach for the 2025-26 season, Harris noted it was probably tougher for him than it was his players, just given the state of how high school athletics are nowadays.
"They're happy kids. They're enjoyable. They like to have fun. For me, to give up something I've done for so long, it was probably harder for me than it was for them. But I assured them that we'd hire someone that would come in with the same amount of passion to coach and lead them," Harris said. "That's been the journey for me at Pensacola High School, being able to see the boys develop into men and to see how they carry on in their lives. That's probably the most rewarding part in high school athletics, and probably the most important part. ... As a coach, you know you've won at life when you see the lives those kids have beyond high school."
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola High boys basketball head coach Terrence Harris resigns
Continue reading...
