Norwalk grad Harkness hired as Perkins girls coach

Chris Harkness finally thought it was time. The former long-time Norwalk girls basketball assistant coach spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Perkins under Leia Lyden. When Lyden stepped down as head coach in early March, Harkness, gave it some thought before applying. The Pirates made it official Wednesday at their board of education meeting, naming Harkness the new head girls basketball coach. "I've been in the system for a long time with different programs," Harkness said. "When this opportunity made itself aware, I said maybe it was time. Why not give it another shot before stepping away? I'm excited about the opportunity because I felt like I had a good relationship with the girls. "Them having three coaches in four years isn't exactly their fault." Lyden was 16-31 in her two seasons as coach at Perkins. The Pirates were 5-18 this past season. "The program was prominent awhile ago, but we had a down year last year," Harkness said. "I don't want that to reflect on what we have coming back. I'm happy to get back on the floor with these girls, specifically. They are awesome and good kids. They are respectful and good listeners. "We had a string of bad luck with injuries, but I look forward to what we can do this season." Harkness, a 1985 Norwalk graduate who is in the school's hall of fame for his football achievements, has doubled as an area basketball official. Harkness said he has been a referee for 27 years, but the time needed to devote to being a head coach will likely keep him from officiating. "We thought Chris stood out to our search committee," Perkins athletic director Brad Watson said. "He values relationships and we think he is going to be a good fit for our program and student-athletes. He's a great guy and we are looking forward to having him as the head coach." Perkins had just one senior this past season, Jalee Lipsey. The Pirates will compete in the Lake Division of the newly formed Northern Ohio Conference next season. "On paper, we should have everybody back," Harkness said. "I know I need to talk to some of them. I want to get to the table with some of the girls that didn't come out last year. We had some injuries and low numbers. My key thing is retention and getting those other girls out." During the day, Harkness is self-employed at a kitchen exhaust and hood cleaning company. He is also the COO of a behavioral health company. Harkness said the plans for a staff are in the works. He expects his daughter, Kaelynn, who coached Perkins' JV team last season, to remain on board. "I know there will be more administrative responsibilities as a head coach," Harkness said. "I don't think that will change what I've always done. I've always had responsibilities everywhere I was. That responsibility was given to me by the head coach."