Andrew Harms: Halftime Heroes Interview

Currently sitting second on the NBL1 South ladder, Frankston Blues Men's head coach Andrew Harms spoke to the team at Halftime Heroes about his background in basketball before coaching .

“I grew up in the 90s where the NBL really had a stronghold."

"I fell in love with the game and loved my footy as well, but made that decision pretty early on that basketball is the pathway I wanted to head down.

"A by-product of the Jordan era. I was addicted to the game."

"I loved every aspect from the NBA to the NBL and representing Frankston on a Friday night. I loved being involved in that and then was fortunate enough to make some state teams, which opened up the opportunity to go to college in the states. And then, yeah, was really fortunate to get a scholarship.” 

“Back when I played, and that makes me sound really old, but yeah, it wasn't a natural pathway. It was something that, there was some pioneers, probably two or three, maybe four years ahead of me and then we were kind of a little bit of that next wave."

“That led me back to Australia where I played for the Frankston Blues and Dandenong Rangers and, happened to get a bit of success at both of those clubs, which was really fortunate and then retired for six months." 

“I was 31 or 32, [and I told my wife] ‘Hey, you won't see a better lawn and think of all the great places we can go to’.  And then six months later, I was interim coach the Frankston Blues.” 

Harms also spoke about the Frankston Blues program and his coaching ethos.

"Once you start pulling on that thread, it's a very it's a big thread that runs through any program, but I think first and foremost, relationships, and I know every coach says that they're really key.

"That's the currency. That's what you're trading in, relationships, and your ability to be able to formulate them really quickly, grow those relationships, but also understand that those relationships."

"They're going to be made-up of some kicks metaphorically and some metaphorical hugs and making sure you understand that balance of how you can create a really challenging environment and ensure that you have really high standards, but also understanding that if you're asking them to reach for their best, then you need to have some of those safety nets that sits underneath."

"When things don't go right or a bit of confidence drops, or they start to lean out of the process and focus on the outcome. Then I think the biggest job of any coach or I think any leader in an organisation is you're first and foremost, you're a coach of aligning individuals. You're an alignment expert."

Listen to the full interview with Halftime Heroes and Andrew Harms