Trek to Texas

So I've decided to take the full time plunge into H.E.A.R.T Athletics. This decision came after quitting my job in search of obtaining my dream.

Chasing my dream has led us to the 2nd Round of the Shark Tank audition, increased sales and a meeting with the Dallas Coboys.

Over the next few weeks I will be recording and sharing our experiences of the process while we chase our dreams. Enjoy the ride...

Twitter - @IPlayWithHEART
Snapchat - kinghenry_ii
Instagram - heartathleticsllc

End of Week Update

Not a bad week for H.E.A.R.T Athletics.

It started off a little slow, but we finished well. We have a couple of meetings set up for next week about product placement for our UNR H.E.A.R.T Helmet Hoody. Needless to say I'm really excited about this.

In the upcoming weeks we have two big Pop Warner events where we will be able to market the hoody to a huge audience. Also, our first High School hoody (for Bishop Manogue) is finally complete. 

So in short, it wasn't a bad week, but...The grind doesn't stop.

Play with H.E.A.R.T!

The H.E.A.R.T Helmet Hoody

The fully customized H.E.A.R.T Athletics Helmet Hoody is here!  This is just a few iPhone pics my Wife took of me wearing the Bishop Manogue (Reno, NV) Helmet Hoody. Here is a link to see a 360 degree view http://youtu.be/HcvhbNi2QuE. 

Hug Hawks vs Wooster Colts Boys Varsity Hoops

January 31, 2012

Last Tuesday I was debating on which game to go to shoot.  So I thought to myself, "self, you live 2 city blocks from Wooster...take your ass over there and see what they're about".  So I agreed with myself and went to Wooster.  As with any game I go to, I'm not really concerned with the final score, I'm looking for kids that Have Enough Attitude Resilience & Toughness (www.heartathleticsllc.com).  So basically, when I shoot a game, match or whatever, I'm looking for players that speak to my values and not so much who wins or loses.  Just because you won the game doesn't mean you gave your all and just because you lost the game doesn't necessarily mean you didn't (see what I did there?).

Long story short, Hug wound up beating Wooster by a sizable margin, but this doesn't mean that there wasn't a ton of H.E.A.R.T being poured out on the court.  You would think that a victory of such a large margin would have players on Wooster "giving up" and players for Hug just going through the motions...This was NOT the case.  There was a kid on Wooster who played the entire game (a starter at that) even though it was a blowout, #23 and a sub this year (but next year he'll most definitely start) for Hug, Rian Narra who played their respective asses off this game.

#23 Wooster

This #23 kid is a starter for Wooster.  Anyone who has played team sports knows that when the game is out of hand, the coach usually pulls his starters to get the backups more minutes.  If the coach doesn't do this, he's leaving some starters in so the game doesn't get out of control.  Most kids who are left in have a problem with this.  They feel as if they should be sitting too because it's embarrassing or the coach doesn't "respect" them enough to pull them out.  As I watched #23, I realized that this kid just wanted to play.  He played just as hard in the last minute as he did in the first quarter.  He didn't gunout (shoot without thinking of passing) his teammates, he continued to play hard D and most of all he hustled.  At no point in the game did I see this kid pout, throw a fit or act like a bitch.  This kid played his H.E.A.R.T out and it was dope watching him do so.

#1 Rian Narra

When people generally think about sports, they tend to think that if you don't start...you're not good.  Well this isn't always the case.  What if you play Varsity sports and you're a Sophomore?  This is the case when it comes to my young bol Rian Narra.  Yeah, Rian could play JV, get a ton of minutes, playing against competition his own age and dominate...or he can learn from a Senior PG, play against the best in the area, and get ready to crush next year.  He (as I would would) chose the latter.  As a Sophomore, Rian doesn't get that many minutes (because he's playing behind Andrew Johnson) but that doesn't mean he doesn't have skill or a big ol' H.E.A.R.T.  Rian came into the game for good in the middle of the 3rd quarter and did his thing.  Narra came into the game and played with the intensity of a starter (which he will be next year) and kept it up for the rest of the game.  He attacked the bucket, played his ass off on D (so much so that he was huffing and puffing, I even told him so on Twitter during the game).  By the end of the game, regardless of stats (which I figured to be 11 points, 3 boards, 4 assists...in less than 2 quarters), Rian played his ass off.

As I sat watching both of the players (#23 for Wooster and #1 for Hug, Rian Narra) and thought about how hard BOTH were playing at that time, I took this picture....

And this is what put my entire Hug vs. Wooster game in perspective, regardless of the score.

Hug High School JV Player #2

Last Saturday, January 21, 2012 I went to McQueen High School to watch Hug play McQueen.  I don't know a single player from either team, but I love High School sports, what they represent and Saturday's are the BEST days to watch amateur sports.  So I went...I blogged about the game earlier this week, but there was one player I didn't talk about (although I really wanted to).  I really didn't know how to fit him in the story until now...

I don't care what level of sports (or life) you're on, you want to be the starter (or the man/woman).  We all learn (eventually) that this isn't the case.  For some reason or whatever, you may "deserve" to start, but something (or someone) dictates that you have to take a lesser role.  This DOES NOT mean you are of "lesser" value, it just means that your true value may actually not be viewed in the proper light...this is life my friends.

Anyway, as I'm photographing this Hug/McQueen game, something "told" me to shoot this kid (#2) who was the first person to check into the game.  I had no idea of who he was, if he was any good, or what his situation was...but I took his picture non the less.

Little did I know that this kid was on some straight up Vinnie Johnson type ish!  This young bol (South Jersey slang for young guy...it's pronounced "bull") came into the game and started lighting kats up!

The thing is, this kid didn't only fill up the bucket, he played D, boarded and distributed dimes (a dime is an assist).  He did all of this without the "sense" or entitlement of STARTING.  If you took one look at this kid when he was entering the game you would have thought you were looking at a lion about to be unleashed!  The dude just had something about him that said "I don't give a f#ck that I'm not starting...I'm about to do WORK"...and he did.

The point of this blog post is that this kid "played" his H.E.A.R.T out and from the looks of his contributions, he could have cared less if he started or was the first/last guy off the bench! 

In sports and in life, not everyone is going to get the chance to sit in the sun...but when you do (if you indeed do get the chance) you have to take full advantage because you never know if you'll get another one (chance) or some more sun.  This Hug JV player got a little bit of sun from me and I feel fortunate enough to give him whatever sun I can because dammit...this kid deserves it.  He played his ass off AND he played his HEART out!


John H. Harris II
Owner
H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC


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Hug vs. McQueen Boys JV Hoops

This past Saturday, January 21, 2012 I decided to watch the Hug vs. McQueen JV Boys game.  I did this for a couple of reasons.
1. I've seen the Hug Varsity Boys play...and they're nice
2. McQueen is big sports school, so I wanted to check out the hoops team
3. Saturdays are made for sports

So I go into the game "expecting" Hug to be good, but not really knowing what to expect from McQueen.  You know, would they be shook (slang term for scared), any good or anything close to the football program (which by the way is really...really good).  So as the game starts and quarters are passing by, McQueen and Hug were really gettin' it in.  No lead was larger than 7 points and there were at least 8 lead changes. 

In every game I go to and shoot, I'm always looking for players that not only play their asses off but play with HEART.  There were more than a couple.  For McQueen, #'s 5, 21 and 3 really stood out and for Hug #'s 35, 11, 25 and 2 really caught my attention.  Here's a breakdown of what I saw...

McQueen Lancers



# 5 is a true floor general.  The kid took shots when he needed to take'm, fought through screens of D, drove the lane against the bigmen of Hug and hustled his ass off all game long.  Really good player.

#21 played a hell of a game too.  Although he was giving up a couple of inches to #35 from Hug, he still went hard in the paint all game long.  He had a bunch of hustle in'm as well.  One play it looked like Hug was going to get a free fastbreak layup...but out of nowhere comes #21 to block the shot.

#3 was a slasher.  This kid was always driving the lane and had a decent handle.  He didn't care who was in the lane, he was going to either get his shot off or get that bucket.  Every team needs a guy like this.  Big HEART and fearless when attacking the bucket

Hug Hawks

#35 was a straight up monster.  He grabbed boards, blocked shots, made his shots and battled all day long with McQueen's #21.  This kid basically went bananas during this game.

#11 was a beasting Saturday, just like #35.  The two of them combined made it really tough for McQueen on the defensive end.  For a bigman 35 has quicks AND hops.  He created his own shots and played hard on D.  Tough player...

#25 for Hug was ice cold.  This kid didn't care how big you were, he was getting in the paint...period.  His handle was ill and his shooting was iller (yeah, I know it's slang and it's not 'really' a word...but it's MY blog so I'm using it, lol).  At one point in the 4th quarter the game was tied up, the Hug coach called a timeout and set up a designed play.  With the game tied #25 ran around 2 screens to get open in the corner to pop a 3...he didn't hesitate at all.  The kid got the rock and pulled the trigger.  The kid was Reggie Miller lethal from range.

I can't lie, BOTH teams played hard and played with HEART.  Like most games I got to shoot, I found myself "watching" the game more than shooting photos.  This (to me at least) is a sign that the players on both sides are competing at their highest levels and leaving everything on the court.

Play with HEART!

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Bishop Manogue vs. Wooster Boys Freshman Hoops

With every game I go to, I go with absolutely no prior knowledge on which team is good and what player can do what.  The same was true when I went to the Manogue/Wooster game.  All I really wanted to do was take some quality pictures and witness a hard fought game.  I gotta tell ya, just like every other game I watched this year, both teams played their asses off.

I could write a really long blog about my opinions of the game, but in truth, I'd rather talk about the game and how the pictures I took reflect my feelings on the game in general.

Wooster Players

*Blogger Note* Since I do not know these players yet, I will have to refer to them by number...



#2  This kid played with a ton of HEART.  He never let ball pressure bother him and he didn't have any hesitation to take the rock into the trees (that's slang for driving the painted area and shooting over the taller players...you're welcome).  He also dove on the ground for loose balls, played D and was willing to take the open jumper when it presented itself.

#1  This kid was smaller than #2 but played just as big as he did.  I was actually zooming my lens to take a picture of another kid when #2 snatched a board (that's a Rebound for the uninitiated) from much...much taller players.  What the non-basketball player needs to know that is, rebounding is about determination.  You can jump out of the gym, but if you don't WANT to rebound...it's not going to happen.  This kid not only snagged this board, but he did it with some serious swagger.  He also hustled his ass off and knocked down open shots...ice cold this kid was.

I know for any team victory, the victory belongs to the TEAM, but I can't front.  This kid #33 played his ass off in the 4th quarter.  He blocked shots, he made shots, he boarded and he played D.  This kid was the difference in Wooster winning and losing....period.  I know the entire team played as one, but damn, this kid has a big ass HEART.  He was all over the place when it counted.

I can't front, I really was watching the Wooster players more than the Manogue players because I live literally 3 blocks away from the school.  This is in no way demeaning the effort put out by Manogue because the game literally came down to the last 30 seconds before Wooster pulled out the "W".  So even though I didn't thoroughly dissect the Manogue players, here are some pictures of hustle and HEART that they put out over the course of the game.

At the end of the day, Wooster came up with the "W", but both teams played hard and played with H.E.A.R.T and that's really all that matters.  Somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose...just DON'T lose the lesson that this recent loss has taught you...You feel me?