Former Zanesville Star Embraces New Role

Thousands watched Cedric Harris live out a point guard’s dream on a national stage.

“It was just surreal,” Harris said of his ride to the D2 national championship game with the West Liberty Hilltoppers in March of 2014.

Just weeks after excelling in the biggest game of his career, Harris received more than a handful of professional offers from teams across the globe.

But the Zanesville grad went with an offer that led him to a more familiar court.

“I just kind of wanted to stay in town, keep it local, try to give back what I already know,” Harris said.

Instead of quarterbacking his teammates on the floor, Harris is now leading his own team as an assistant coach for the Blue Devils.

“I know what it takes to get to the next level,” he said.

Harris also knows what it takes to put on a show in a Zanesville uniform. He was a two-year starter for Scott Aronhalt, averaging a double-double his senior year.

“We kind of connect more with Cedric because he’s younger and he’s been through it,” said senior guard Spenser Hardwick.

“They’ve seen me play on national TV and I can get across to them,” Harris said of his players. “Maybe coach is getting hard, he’s going down on them… They need a guy like me to lift them back up.”

As for Harris, it’s Aronhalt that lifts him up.

“He’s had– probably aside from my father– one of the biggest male influences on my life,” Harris said. “I always wanted to be… coaching like him.”

Harris’ role as a head coach may come sooner than he thinks.

“You would love to turn the program over into the hands of somebody that played for you, somebody that understands and respects that program, and Cedric has those qualities,” Aronhalt stated.

As for the newly minted assistant coach, making a positive difference in the lives of his players is his top priority.

“I kind of want to be that guy that has a huge impact on somebody’s life,” Harris said.

“They can look back and say ‘I made a difference because of coach Harris.'”