Jim Harrick recalls the days of glory at soon-to-close Morningside High
Much has changed in the community surrounding Morningside High. You can see the outlines of SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome, newly built world-class sports complexes that didn't exist when the Inglewood school opened in 1951.
Then there's the dramatic dip in school enrollment. Once a high school with more than 2,000 students, the latest enrollment figure has 421 students, which isn't enough to fill bleachers in the gymnasium.
The school district has made the decision to close Morningside at the end of June. Students from nearby Inglewood High will move into the space until that school finishes a rebuilding project.
Morningside has a long tradition of sports stars having won numerous championships and earned many trophies. The banners visible on both sides of the school gym date to 1951, from track to basketball to football.
The school has been particularly known for basketball, with former Lakers Byron Scott and Elden Campbell among its alumni. There's also Lisa Leslie, a four-time Olympic team gold medalist who scored 101 points in a high school game. Stais Boseman was one of the best two-sport standouts from Morningside, leading his team to a state title in basketball in 1992 while starring as a running back in football. An ESPN 30/30 was made in 2017 about what happened to the five starters after the original documentary, 'Hardwood Dreams in 1993.'
No one can offer better insight into the impact Morningside had on their life than Jim Harrick, who won an NCAA basketball title coaching UCLA in 1995 and got his start at Morningside as a junior varsity coach in 1964.
'I go to places in Los Angeles and people come up to me, 'I went to Morningside.' It's amazing,' the 84-year-old Harrick said.
He was an assistant coach to Lee Smelser at Inglewood, taking over as varsity baseball coach in 1966 and head basketball coach in 1969 while teaching English.
'My years at Morningside were just spectacular,' he said. 'It was a learning, growing period. The most important thing you learn is how to teach in English class and make lesson plans.'
He was around when one of the greatest players in California history was holding court, Raymond Lewis of Verbum Dei.
'My first summer we get into the Gardena summer league,' Harrick said. 'We go play Verbum Dei. My head is going left and right. Oh my God. I've never seen anyone like that. He's one of the top five players I've ever seen.'
Harrick had one of the top high school teams in the nation in his final season in 1972, then left to become a college assistant at Utah State and begin a long college coaching career that saw his teams at Pepperdine, UCLA, Rhode Island and Georgia win 472 games.
'The lessons I learned at Morningside propelled me to have the career I had,' he said.
Like many alumni, he's sad the school will be closing but the sports program has deteriorated. The football team hasn't been to the playoffs since 2013 and lost to Inglewood 106-0 in a controversial 2021 game.
'It's terrible the school district couldn't keep it going,' said former football coach Derwin Henderson, who was an LAPD sergeant and coached the last playoff team. 'A lot of police officers came out of Morningside.'
The school district is putting together a project to save memorabilia. Current coaches will have to apply for coaching opportunities in the district.
Harrick has lots of positive memories. He remembers holding a camp for fourth-graders, with Scott and Reggie Theus among his campers in the gym.
'We had some great players in the South Bay Area,' he said. 'Our track program was sensational.'
Harrick said he studied John Wooden during those years when UCLA was winning NCAA title after NCAA title while using the Bruins' offense at Morningside.
'I thank the Lord every day for the joys of the John Wooden system of basketball,' he said.
It's all part of the legacy of the Morningside Monarchs.
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