He played basketball at Long Beach State in the middle 1960s, wearing #25 before getting into coaching. He started the Ocean View boys’ basketball program while teaching mathematics and coached the Seahawks for 33 years, winning 19 league championships and two CIF Southern Section titles. In 2009, the Seahawks won the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA championship, the CIF State Division III Southern California regional title and reached the CIF State Division III championship game in Sacramento. His son Jimmy co-coached with him that year. Jim also filled in as girls’ head coach for five seasons, winning four league titles. He had a career record of 665-265 (72% winning percentage) and is credited with starting the coaching career of SCBBHOFer Gary McKnight. Jimmy, was an All-CIF player for his father and later an assistant coach, and then the varsity boys’ co-head coach for a few years. Jimmy’s son also played at Ocean View wearing the #25. Jim’s daughter Kim Morris was the girl’s head coach at Ocean View. The HS court is part of the Jim Harris Gymnasium and features a painted No. 25 in his honor. He had five children with wife Sandra and eight grandchildren. Jim passed away on October 23, 2011, at the age of 67.