Harrison Follows in the Family Business: Basketball

Harrison Lane

• School: Lafayette High
• Grade: 9th • Sport: Basketball, baseball, golf
• Academics: Harrison was a Duke TIP qualifier in 7th grade, is an honor roll student and is a member of the student council.
Parents: Andrea & Brian

When you think about it, how could 14-year-old Harrison Lane of Lafayette High not be a basketball player?

Consider his bloodlines.

His grandfather, Don Lane, coached basketball at Transylvania University for 26 years and won 509 games.

Harrison’s father, Brian Lane, was an Academic All-American and played in both the basketball and golf national championship tournaments while at Transylvania.

Now the Pioneer coach, he is starting his 12th season.

And Brian is not even Harrison’s parent in the Pioneer Hall of Fame.

That honor goes to Andrea, Harrison’s mother and a tennis star at Transylvania where the couple met.

Basketball, sports and Transylvania are in Harrison’s DNA.

He virtually grew up in the Transylvania gymnasium at his father’s practices. Family vacations? The NCAA Final Four.

“I was shooting a basketball when it was bigger than I was,” Harrison said.

That early start must have helped. Harrison led Jessie Clark to the middle school city championship last year, scoring 23 points in the title game.

At the same time, he played shooting guard for the Lafayette freshman team, posting a high game of 26 points.

And that’s when he was only 5-foot-5. He has since grown 6 inches and is expected to play on Lafayette’s freshman, JV and varsity teams this season.

That’s three teams in one season, and three sports in one school year.  Harrison played at No. 5 on the Lafayette golf team in the fall and is expected to pitch on the freshman and JV baseball teams.

As a 12-year-old, he helped pitch South Lexington to the Cal Ripken World Series and was selected to the all-tournament team.

Who better to ask about Harrison as an athlete than his father, the coach?

“Harrison has pitched in a ton of big games along the way and will be able to draw on that experience,” Brian said.

“In basketball, he has been a student of the game a long time, so he is a pretty smart basketball player.”

Harrison’s smarts translate to the classroom where he was a Duke TIP qualifier in seventh grade and is now an honor roll student and member of the student council.

He’s an avid reader. His favorite books? Not surprisingly sports books, particularly about basketball.

“Harrison is conscientious, a hard worker, and he builds relationships with teachers,” his mother Andrea said.

Harrison enjoys business classes in school, but don’t be surprised if he winds up in coaching.

“My dad is always happy,” he said. “It seems like a good life.”

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