After wading through a mountain of applications from across the country, Atlantic Collegiate Academy Director of Athletics William Payne zeroed in right away on Jason Harris in his search for a boys’ basketball coach.
A veteran high school and college coach, Harris was the first coaching staff hire for the Armada. He officially begins his duties at Atlantic Collegiate in July.
“This is an incredibly special day for me and my family,” Harris said. “There are no words to describe what an honor it is to be named the first head coach at Atlantic Collegiate Academy. I am going to do everything I can, from day one, to make sure our school will not only become a very special place in Myrtle Beach, but a special place in South Carolina."
Harris comes to ACA from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., where he served for the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Governors where he primarily worked with the teams’ guards. Before his stop at APSU, Harris was an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at North Carolina Central for three seasons.
“From the first day I was announced as the AD at Atlantic, I knew I had to make a basketball hire that would move the needle,” Payne said. “Jason became involved in the process after we had already spoken with a few other candidates, but he immediately became the prime target after our initial conversation.
“His diverse coaching background, including multiple years at the D1 level, the elite postgraduate level, athletic administration, as well as high school and travel basketball, make him the perfect coach to build this program. Although he was in the mix for many other positions, he felt the pull to come to the Grand Strand and place his thumbprint on this program.”
One of the many things that attracted him to ACA was the chance to work with Payne in laying the foundation for Armada athletics.
"William Payne was one of the first things that attracted me to Atlantic Collegiate,” Harris said. “He is one of the most well-respected sports minds in the country. His vision, in connection with that of principal Mike Lorenz, made it very hard for me to say no to. They are going to put the student-athletes first and prepare them not only for college, but for life."
During his time in Durham, the Eagles set the program's Division I record for single season wins, both overall and in conference play. Harris played a pivotal part of the development of All-MEAC players Paulina Afriye, Rodneysha Martin and Kieche White and, in his role as recruiting coordinator, he successfully recruited Anissa Rivera, who blossomed into the MEAC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Harris grew up just outside Washington, D.C., and attended St. John’s Catholic Prep at Prospect Hall. After a stellar prep career, during which his team compiled a 104-7 record with four top 10 finishes in the USA Today national poll, he went to college at Fordham University in The Bronx.
The accolades continued during his time playing for the Rams. He was a four-year letter winner and a two-year captain. He finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading three-point shooter in program history. In 2000 Dick Vitale included him among the top five long-distance shooters in the nation and, in 2001, he was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team. He was named the A-10 Player of the Week four times during his career while earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 2001.
In 2021, Harris was one of five players selected to Fordham’s 25th Anniversary A-10 team.
After his college career ended, Harris tried his hand at professional basketball, playing in France.
Harris got his start as a coach in the prep ranks, making early stops at Montverde Academy just outside Orlando, Fla., and Montrose Christian Academy in Rockville, Md. At Montverde, he served as national and international recruiting coordinator, developing deep ties across the globe as the team went 50-8 during his time and ranked 23rd in USA Today's national high school poll.
Harris was instrumental in the perimeter skill development of players like LD Williams (Wake Forest), Luc Mbah A Moute (UCLA and the LA Clippers) and Luis Colon (Kansas State). At Montrose, he worked alongside current Washington Wizards assistant coach David Adkins with players such as Linas Kleiza (Missouri/Denver Nuggets), Uche Echefu (Florida State), Tunji Sorye (UVA) and Churchill Odia (Oregon) on a team that also earned a national prep ranking.
Most recently Harris spent four seasons at Bishop Ireton (Virginia) High School where he took the Cardinals to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time and sent multiple players on to collegiate programs. He was recognized as Coach of the Year in 2015.
“Jason fully embraces our academics first approach at Atlantic and will develop the student-athletes to be prepared for the next level, both academically and athletically,” Payne said. “Above that, he will lead by example, with high character, and teach our young people how to use sports to teach life lessons. Atlantic is very fortunate to have a coach and administrator the caliber of Jason Harris.”
Outside of his time as a player and coach Harris established Premier Sports Performance Academy in 2006 with his father, Mike Harris. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and head coach for the under-17 elite team for more than a decade. During this time, Harris supported more than 50 student-athletes who went on to earn NCAA scholarships.
Jason and his wife Cathy have one son, Jason Jr. (Duce) and a daughter, Joanna. Together the Harris family enjoys sports, the outdoors and their dogs, Justice and Jasmine.
“I am excited to move to Grand Strand and really take in all its many resources,” Harris said. “I think we have a unique population we will serve both during the regular school year and during the summer vacation months. We will serve the community while also taking in the breathtaking views and sites that our city has to offer."
