Ocean View gym to be named Jim Harris Gym

Ocean View High will name its gym in honor of the late Jim Harris, the former boys’ basketball coach for the Seahawks, during a special ceremony on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

The ceremony will follow Ocean View’s sixth annual Coaches for a Cause games. All proceeds from the games will go to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.

The Ocean View girls’ varsity team will play against Marina at noon, and the Ocean View boys’ varsity team will face Laguna Hills at 1:30 p.m.

Harris was the first and only boys’ basketball coach in Ocean View school history until his passing on Oct. 23, 2011. By then, he was one of the most successful coaches in the state of California (665 wins, two CIF championships, elected to CIF and SCIBCA Hall of Fame).

Harris had an amazing impact on the lives of countless basketball players at Ocean View, but it was the influence he had on the entire Ocean View community that made him special.

He was known to be a kind, compassionate man who had a genuine concern for his students. He was a mentor for both students and staff members, and he seemed to always know when someone needed an encouraging word.

Harris took great pride in being a Seahawk. Whether he was having his program paint the portables or he was personally planting the trees that line Warner Avenue in front of the gym, Harris devoted his life to make Ocean View a great place.

— From staff reports

— From staff reports