BY EMILEE WOLF | The Statesman Senior basketball player Jake Harder has come a long way since he first enrolled at UMD.
Harder stood 6’5” tall at the beginning of his freshman year and flirted with the idea of continuing his passion for basketball, but feared that his below-average height and inexperienced level of play would hold him back from doing so.
After speaking with Gary Holquist, the head coach of UMD Men’s Basketball at the time, Harder was offered the position of student assistant for the team in the 2011-12 season. For two years he remained in that position, attending both practices and home games.
“I soaked up a lot watching from the sidelines,” Harder said. “I was lucky to have the exposure I did.”
The summer between his freshman and sophomore year, Harder grew three inches.
Taller and, having watched how hard the basketball players worked, he was inspired to do the same, putting on 20 pounds of muscle over the summer months. He entered his sophomore year at 6’8” and weighing 200 pounds.
Harder returned as a student assistant for the 2012-13 season like a whole new person.
“I always considered walking on the team, but I never knew if I was good enough,” Harder admits.
As he continued his job with the team, his work ethic and character was soon recognized. It was then that assistant coach Matt Bowen began to encourage Harder to try out for the team.
“I could see he loved to play the game. He showed significant improvement and has a terrific work ethic,” Bowen said. “It’s hard not to recognize somebody like him.”
With the help of encouragement and hard work, Harder entered the 2013-14 basketball season, not as a student assistant, but as a full-time member of the team. After walking on that season, he appeared in 21 games and had 10 starts.
Harder’s teammate Kristofer Jackson was only a sophomore at the time, but he had no doubt that Jake deserved to be on the team.
“When I was a freshman, Jake always participated in drills with us and came to every practice, so I wasn’t surprised when he made the team,” Jackson said.
Jackson is the only member on the current Bulldog roster that was on the team while Jake was a student assistant.
“With him having been an assistant, he has a great sense of leadership. He knows where the program has been and where it’s going,” Jackson said.
Continuing to grow, Harder headed into the 2014-15 season with high hopes. He played in 10 games for the Bulldogs before being sidelined with a broken foot, putting him out for the rest of the season.
Instead of returning to his former position as a student assistant as a result of the injury, Harder rehabbed and was able to return the next year.
“He is a tremendous kid of character and desire,” Bowen said.
With lots of physical therapy, Harder recovered from his injury and is currently spending his last season with the Bulldogs. Having been with the team for four years now, this is the most successful season he has ever been a part of--the Bulldogs currently sit at 14-6, nearly matching their win total from last year (16) with eight games to play.
“It’s all about the players; they’re older, they’re confident, and they have talent,” Bowen said. “It’s been a fun year so far.”
This season Jake has appeared in nine games, totaling 100 minutes of play and 16 points overall. He is continuing to see more court time as the season progresses.
Harder proudly claims he would not change any part of his experience at UMD for the world.
“College basketball has taught me a lot of lessons I will take with me in life, and I am incredibly grateful God has given me this opportunity,” Harder said.