S P O RT S
BY: CHRIS PLANK he X-factor is a term often used in sports to define a person who could have a significant impact on the outcome of a game or an event. It’s not always the person who will get the headlines or the praise but, in the end, is the most important piece of a winning team. For the Oklahoma Sooner Basketball team, Elijah Harkless has been the unexpected X-factor, providing the Sooners with the spark, energy and toughness needed to move to another level heading into March Madness.
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The fact that Harkless has had this type of an impact is not a surprise to those who have played with him, but what is even more impressive is that the Sooner transfer is providing an influence on the court despite not even expecting to play this season. As a transfer, Harkless had accepted the fact that this season would be a learning season to prepare for next year. But when the one-time exemption for transfers was awarded, Harkless was ready to help in any way he could. “The transfer rules in college had set my expectations,” he said. “It was a 1% chance that they would allow you to play after transferring. I was recruited to redshirt and that was the mentality that I came in with. But the pandemic opened that up and the coaches felt strongly about me coming out of my redshirt to help the team and I just believed in the coaches and the vision they had for me with the team.” The Cal State Northridge (CSUN) transfer had been considered an elite perimeter defender, and many projected his skills would add a spark to the Sooner lineup. But not many could have projected just how big of a spark that Harkless would truly add. After coming off the bench in his first five games, Harkless was inserted as a starter when the Sooners traveled to Lawrence to face Kansas. He has been a part of the Sooner starting lineup, making a noticeable impact since. His spark has turned into a player who is an all-around game changer. “I think in his case, he was very conscientious about doing the things right,” Sooner Head Basketball Coach Lon Kruger said. “I think maybe even stepping into the rotation a little bit he was concerned about how other people are feeling about that. Our point was just, ‘Just play. We’ll take care of the rotation’. It takes time… but as you saw, he’s progressed in every ball game and he’s playing awfully well right now.” Harkless made an impact on his Sooner teammates from the first moment he stepped on the court. “Since summer, he’s always been showing that dog side of him,” Kur Kuath said. “He can play in this league with us. He hustles. He works hard. He’s just like that. He comes to fight day in day out. I like that about E.J.”
HEART • HUSTLE In a lot of ways, Harkless has been the glue guy, or a dog as Kuath put it, for every team he has played for, the piece that helps hold a team together. His passion for the sport is contagious and his hard work is a character staple. It is something that coaches like David Kleckner noticed from the first time they saw him on a basketball court.
“You can see how he can impact the game in a variety of ways,” Kleckner told the OU Daily in a feature. “His toughness, the loose balls, the deflections, the steals, the rebounds, just the value to have someone like that in the lineup, it impacts the game.” Kleckner coached Harkless in high school at Etiwanda in Rancho Cucamongo, California and won a state championship. While Harkless was a star for Etiwanda, his friends over at Chino Hills were stealing most of the national and local headlines. The Ball brothers and their bombastic father Lavar were preaching to the world how they were ready to take over basketball. While Harkless was staying out of the spotlight, his close friends were dominating the sports headlines and he was learning in the process. “I witnessed it from a young age how they handled their exposure,” Harkless said of his friendship with the Ball brothers. “Melo was getting it at 14 and Lonzo was getting at 16. Just seeing the national publicity and watching how they handled it I took a lot of pages out of their book and I saw what it was like to work hard like they did every single day. So, I saw what it took to be good and I learned a lot from them.”
Photos by: Mark Doescher
Hard work is often overshadowed in the media by the swagger and attitude but not many could see how hard the Ball family worked behind the scenes and it made an impact on Harkless. “They put the work in,” he shared. “Lavar is a character and he brags on his kids, but he knows the work they put in… running the hills every day, putting up the shots every day. They’ve been doing it from a young age.” With the Ball brothers off to the NBA, Harkless was ready to chart his path to the next level. After his high school career wrapped up, the offers were not necessarily flying in.
36 | March 2021
