Panther Alumni Working Towards Peace
Haron Hargrave’s educational journey did not begin at Chaffey College; but at Chaffey he found his home. “I just knew this was where I was supposed to be,” said Hargrave (class of 2005). “I came to open practice and I wasn’t my best. I was crushed, but I came back. Coach Klein gave me a second chance.”
Hargrave attended two east coast schools before coming to California to play at LA City College. “LACC just wasn’t a good fit. I’d already had two setbacks at Sullivan Community College and Monroe Rochester; I didn’t want to make a third mistake.” Frustrated at LA City, Hargrave turned to friend Thomas “Tippy” McTernan for guidance. A friend of Chaffey Head Coach Jeff Klein, McTernan suggested Hargrave visit Chaffey before packing up and moving back to New York.
That decision changed his life path. At Chaffey, Hargrave found a 2nd family; one that would help support him 3,000 miles from his family and through the death of his mother. “I wanted to do my mom proud,” commented Hargrave. “She was a teacher and coming back to Chaffey after her passing is what she would have wanted.” Hargrave finished his Associate’s degree and transferred to Sacramento State where he played NCAA Division I basketball for the Hornets and earned a B.S. in Communications.
“My passion was basketball,” said Hargrave who went on to play professionally in Asia, Europe, South America, and throughout North America and the Caribbean. “At Chaffey I had a supportive coach and the style of play helped me excel on the court. I grew here.” That experience set Hargrave up for his career in basketball and his desire to help others.
In 2014, Hargrave established Ballin’ 4 Peace through his H2O Sports Foundation, which promotes peace through sports. “There’s too much hate in the world. I just wanted to do something to help combat the negativity.” He has since held multiple charitable events to bring awareness, funds, and supplies for local, national, and international causes including to Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico (a country Hargrave played in post-college). His organization promotes family and community-wide activities in the hopes of bringing people together and “making peace cool.”
Hargrave is currently teaching and coaching and recently hosted a series of clinics in Los Angeles during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Overcoming adversity and personal tragedy, Hargrave has proven himself repeatedly as motivated to succeed, a drive he shares with his athletes and students. “Nothing… no one can hold me back.”