Where Are They Now? Chuck Harmison

AMES, Iowa- Ames native and former Iowa State star on the hardwood Chuck Harmison doesn't get back home as often as he would like. That's because he's been busy building a success story on another continent.

Harmison is the general manager of Australia's National Basketball League, the country's top professional basketball circuit. Harmison worked his way up in the league as a player, a team general manager and now a front office executive.

Harmison, who played one year in Belgium before heading to Australia, was one of the most coveted recruits in the nation coming out of high school. The 6-9 center led Ames High School to an undefeated state championship season in 1976.

He chose to remain in Ames for college where he put up solid numbers for Iowa State from 1977-80. Harmison scored 862 points and grabbed 594 boards in his career, capping off his senior year (1979-80) by averaging career bests in points (12.5) and rebounds (6.4).

The 53-year-old Harmison sat down with cyclones.com this past week while he was in town for his 35-year Ames High School reunion.

cyclones.com: Talk about your career after Iowa State.

CH: I worked at a tryout camp in New Jersey and went looking for a job over in Europe. I got picked up by a team in Belgium, so I went over in August of 1980 and spent a season there. It was an enjoyable time. It was kind of an isolated feeling because there was no English-language TV or internet. Not many guys on the team spoke English, but it was fun because I was playing basketball for a living and getting paid. The Australia league just started up in 1979. My Dad got a hold of Dave Adkins, who was an agent back here, and he placed Iowa college kids all over the world and had a pipeline down to Australia. He got me a job in 1981 in Melbourne and I moved down there 30 years ago this August and I fell in love with the country.

cyclones.com: Talk about the early years of the NBL.

CH: The league was just getting started so it was really small. We played in front of small crowds because it was certainly not a big sport in Australia at that stage. I was part of the growth through the early and mid-1980s and then it really exploded in the late 1980s and early 1990s on the coattails of Magic, Bird and Jordan. I was lucky because I played until I was 38 years old with 15 years in the league. When I retired the club I was with moved me into the front office and made me the general manager of the team and I did that for seven years. Then I got offered to work in the league front office as a general manager there. I am kind of the Stu Jackson of the NBL. I look after all the rules and regulations and referees and all the fun stuff. I'm going on my eighth year as the GM.

cyclones.com: It appears you have really embraced the Australian culture.

CH: I tell people that Australia is what America was 40 years ago. It is the United States without some of the problems, though we still have our own social issues. It is much more of a socialist kind of society. We look after the disadvantaged better and we have good healthcare. I enjoy being able to drive to the beach that is two minutes away. You can park on the beach and it has great surf. I live in Wollongong, and it's a great place to live. We are only an hour away from Sydney, which is one of the greatest cities in the world. We have the benefit of living in a small town but have a big city just up the road.

cyclones.com: It's hard to believe it has been 35 years since you graduated from Ames High.

CH: Yes it is (laughs). I am back here for my 35-year high school class reunion. I reminisce about those days and I still have a scrapbook which I will go through when I feel nostalgic. Those were great times. You don't think about it a lot but when you are back with your friends and teammates you do talk about it. That was a special time because we had an undefeated season and there have only been three Ames High teams to do that.

cyclones.com: Talk about your Iowa State career. You were a part of the 1977-78 Cyclone team which finished second in the Big Eight.

CH: My freshman year was kind of a rebuilding year after Ken Trickey's reign. Lynn Nance came in and he was a strict disciplinarian and we really needed that to help turn the program around. It was tough that first year because a lot of us were freshmen and we did not know what to expect. We were coming off of great high school careers and it was almost like starting over again. Our sophomore year, I thought we could have done some special things that year. I played in a pick-up basketball game during the year and I tore some ligaments in my ankles and that set me back six weeks. We still finished second in the Big Eight that year. My junior and senior seasons we were kind of mediocre, but I look back on those times with fond memories. It was a growing and learning experience. Even though I was going to school in my hometown, moving onto campus was a buffer and I had to learn how to live by myself.

cyclones.com: Talk about the hiring of Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg, another former Ames High and Cyclone star.

CH: I have been impressed with how Fred has been trying to rebuild the program. I just hope the fans give him time. It is going to take two or three years for him to install his philosophies and get the players he wants. I thought the hiring of Fred was a no-brainer and a great decision. He was a superstar who is loved by the town and the university. Despite not having a lot of coaching experience, he has surrounded himself with great coaches and is doing a great job.

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