I love the game of basketball. The lessons learned on the court, between the lines, in the locker room and in the coach’s office are invaluable. I grew up in Pinehurst / Southern Pines and went to school at The O’Neal School. I played every sport possible including soccer, basketball and tennis at O’Neal. I went on to play 2 years of basketball and 2 years of golf at Berry College. I went to Berry College and earned a walk on spot and continued to work hard and I received an athletic scholarship my sophomore year. Entering my junior year, I choose to focus on coaching basketball and playing on the golf team. It certainly was a tough decision, but my dream was always to be a college basketball coach. The experience I gained as a student-assistant was invaluable. I graduated having 2 years of playing experience and 2 years of coaching experience; pretty cool! I was able to earn All-American status while playing on the golf team, while the team placed 2nd in the national tournament my senior season. I would not have changed a thing! I left Berry College to follow my head coach to University of Alabama in Huntsville for one season. I returned to Berry College and assumed the position of top Assistant Coach and stayed in that position for 4 seasons. I still vividly remember the Athletic Director / Basketball Coach asking me to join him for dinner on April 15th, 2002 at Longhorns Steakhouse. He started the conversation by saying that he had gotten permission that day to offer me the Head Coaching position at my Alma Mater. Needless to say, I accepted the position and became the youngest 4 year college coach in the US. It certainly was a great run and one that has filled my brain and heart with wonderful memories of relationships with coaches, players and colleagues. I will always cherish my time as a coach. I finished my coaching career at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, TN. We made it all the way to the USCAA National Championship game. We fell short in the title game, but I am so proud of the things that team persevered through. It was a special group of guys! My family and I made a difficult decision to step away from “calling timeouts” and try to focus a little more on family and we moved back home (Pinehurst, NC) in June, 2014 after one season at Tennessee Temple University. After 5 years of teaching and coaching at the O'Neal School, I have chosen to step away from it and start a new job back at Pinehurst Resort. The basketball program is coming off the best one in recent history with a 2nd round appearance in the NCISAA State Championships and 15 wins. The program had a record number of players tryout and want to be part of the hoops program. I am proud of the time building the program to new heights. This summer will be my 5th year as a lead instructor with Breakthrough Basketball.
Coach Jeff Haarlow
My basketball experience…
· Attended The O’Neal School and graduated in 1992, played soccer, basketball and tennis
· Played two years of college basketball and golf at Berry College (’92-’96)
· Started coaching college basketball as a junior in college, helping with scouting, recruiting, practice planning, camps, etc…
· Two years as student coach at Berry College (’95-’96)
· Two years as graduate-assistant at Berry College and University of Alabama-Huntsville (’96-’97)
· Four years as top assistant at Berry College (’98-’02)
· Eleven years as Head Coach at Berry College (’02-’13) – ’02-’03 Conference coach of the year
· One year as head coach at Tennessee Temple University (’13-’14) – Region coach of the year
· Attended “Coaching U” Basketball Clinic – 4 years
· Attended Nike Championship Clinics – 6 years
· Spoke at numerous clinics on offensive philosophies
I am a "Motion" guy that has always prided myself in teaching how to play the game vs teaching set plays. My goal as a coach was spacing and teaching concepts. My Berry College teams were known for discipline, toughness, screening and cutting and a bunch of guys that could really shoot the ball! My teams probably played 90% man to man and some zones. As I evolved as a coach we played a little more zone to change pace and momentum.
My experience with camp settings:
· U of North Carolina (3 sessions - 2022-2024)
U of South Carolina - (2 session)
· Princeton University - (2 sessions)
· Lipscomb University - (6 sessions)
· Berry College – 30+ camp sessions (summer, holiday, small group settings)
· Berry College Team Camps – directed 22 sessions as head coach / 14 as assistant coach (about 300 athletes per session)
· University of Alabama In Huntsville (4 sessions)
· Point Guard College (4 sessions)
· Breakthrough Basketball (20+ sessions)
****Lead Instructor for Breakthrough Basketball - Summer '16 -- Summer '24 - traveled to Atlanta, Vermillion SD, Derry NH, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Ocala, Knoxville, Nashville, Greensboro, Greenville SC, Fayetteville, Virginia Beach, etc...
****Ranked #9 out of 103 coaches in 2024 according to camp surveys
****Led curriculums with shooting, ballhandling, finishing, scoring, and youth skills·
Other "Things"
* My undergraduate degree is in Sports Management from Berry College and my Masters degree is in Physical Education from Jacksonville State University..
Coach Jeff Haarlow
My basketball experience…
· Attended The O’Neal School and graduated in 1992, played soccer, basketball and tennis
· Played two years of college basketball and golf at Berry College (’92-’96)
· Started coaching college basketball as a junior in college, helping with scouting, recruiting, practice planning, camps, etc…
· Two years as student coach at Berry College (’95-’96)
· Two years as graduate-assistant at Berry College and University of Alabama-Huntsville (’96-’97)
· Four years as top assistant at Berry College (’98-’02)
· Eleven years as Head Coach at Berry College (’02-’13) – ’02-’03 Conference coach of the year
· One year as head coach at Tennessee Temple University (’13-’14) – Region coach of the year
· Attended “Coaching U” Basketball Clinic – 4 years
· Attended Nike Championship Clinics – 6 years
· Spoke at numerous clinics on offensive philosophies
I am a "Motion" guy that has always prided myself in teaching how to play the game vs teaching set plays. My goal as a coach was spacing and teaching concepts. My Berry College teams were known for discipline, toughness, screening and cutting and a bunch of guys that could really shoot the ball! My teams probably played 90% man to man and some zones. As I evolved as a coach we played a little more zone to change pace and momentum.
My experience with camp settings:
· U of North Carolina (3 sessions - 2022-2024)
U of South Carolina - (2 session)
· Princeton University - (2 sessions)
· Lipscomb University - (6 sessions)
· Berry College – 30+ camp sessions (summer, holiday, small group settings)
· Berry College Team Camps – directed 22 sessions as head coach / 14 as assistant coach (about 300 athletes per session)
· University of Alabama In Huntsville (4 sessions)
· Point Guard College (4 sessions)
· Breakthrough Basketball (20+ sessions)
****Lead Instructor for Breakthrough Basketball - Summer '16 -- Summer '24 - traveled to Atlanta, Vermillion SD, Derry NH, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Ocala, Knoxville, Nashville, Greensboro, Greenville SC, Fayetteville, Virginia Beach, etc...
****Ranked #9 out of 103 coaches in 2024 according to camp surveys
****Led curriculums with shooting, ballhandling, finishing, scoring, and youth skills·
Other "Things"
- '96 NAIA All-American in golf with the Berry College Golf Team
- National Runner-Up as a team. We lost by 1 shot!
- I got to compete in the North South Amateur for 2 years at the Pinehurst Resort
- I had the privilege to caddy for my brother in the '94 US Open at Oakmont CC. What a blast that was!!
- My Dad played in the Final Four in 1965 while at Princeton University. He had the privilege to play with Bill Bradley and was coached by Butch van Breda Kolff, who went on the coach the Lakers (and Wilt Chamberlain).
* My undergraduate degree is in Sports Management from Berry College and my Masters degree is in Physical Education from Jacksonville State University..