For the Packers’ head basketball coach Andy Harden, Colquitt County is more than a community. It is his lifeline. Packer blood runs through his veins. He was born there, grew up there, and was a 1994 graduate of CCHS.
Harden played three years of basketball as a Packer. His senior season was the first under former head coach Keith Hall.
“When you’ve had so many memories of playing, coaching other Packers means so much more,” Harden said. “To see these young men in the same shoes that I once filled…it’s a honor to be a part of this program.”
After spending time as head coach of the Worth County Rams, and as an assistant at CCHS under Coach Hall, Harden was finally given control of the reins in 2013. He also teaches health and physical education.
“In our community, it’s so much more than just being a coach,” Harden said. “You want to build relationships with all of the students, athletes or not. The kids need to know that we’re there for them, no matter what.”
Even during his time coaching the Rams, Harden says he has always felt the love and appreciation of his hometown. That mutual love eventually led Harden to a position at the Moultrie YMCA, where he was approached by his former coach about a coaching position of his own.
“This is home,” Harden said. “You’re never alone here. There is always somebody looking out for you, in both good times 
and bad.”
The unity that makes Colquitt County so special was tragically tested on the morning of June 26, 2014, when former Packer basketball star Xavier Terry lost his life in a car accident. A 2013-2014 All-Region selection, Terry had just graduated high school a few weeks prior.
“The program took a hit,” Harden said. “We lost a fine young man. He was everything that you could ask for. He was dependable, he was a leader…and he got things done, on and off the court.”
While the community mourned the death of one of their own, the loss took an extreme toll on the basketball team, especially Harden.
“I almost resigned,” Harden said. “At that point, I didn’t know my future. It was that shocking.”
Losing a former player was difficult, but it also led to revelation in Harden’s life that proved to change the future of Packer basketball. One night, while at a local Waffle House with Tift County High School’s head basketball coach, Eric Holland, a major point was brought to the forefront.
“We, as coaches, take so much time making our players bigger, faster, stronger,” Harden said, “but we often fail to prepare them for the adversity that they will face in their everyday lives.”
A heartfelt conversation with Coach Holland led to the creation of what Harden has named his “Three-Point Triangle.”
“The three aspects of the triangle are triangle are physical, mental, and spiritual,” Harden said. “Before we lost Xavier, I would always be caught up in preparing the players to win games. After the accident, I realized that being strong, being able to bench press…that doesn’t help you out of darkness. That does nothing for the pain of losing a loved one. It was then that I understood the importance of support. We have to be there for these kids; we have to prepare them for life.”
Harden’s methods are both respected and appreciated in the community. As a team, the members of Colquitt’s basketball team are being molded into much more than successful players; they are being molded into respectable and successful young men that will be pillars of their community. And each day is lived to the fullest in honor of their fallen comrade.
“I try to mention (Xavier) every day,” Harden said. “We don’t forget about him. We hung his jersey in the gym, the players wore memorial patches on their uniforms, and we dedicated our season to him. We coined our own hashtag as well. #BLT. ‘Be Like Terry’. We haven’t gotten over it, and I don’t know if we ever will.”
Less than a year removed from tragedy, Packer Nation has not forgotten. But they also have not settled. With people in the community like Coach Harden, Colquitt County will persevere, especially when the process is a team effort.
“I want to sincerely thank Mr. Jimmy Heath, our booster club president, for making it possible for us to acquire the resources necessary to help the students in our community,” he said. “I also want to thank Eric for always being there for me. When we lost Xavier, he was the first one that called me. He’s one of my closest friends, and I love him like a brother. And, finally,
I need to thank the Colquitt community. It takes a village to raise our children, and without the support of the community, nothing that we accomplish would be possible.”
South Georgia/April 2015
Andy Harden, Head Coach
Colquitt County High School Basketball
By James Washington
