John Harrar ‘loyal and true,’ opens up about staying at Penn State Basketball, more
By Evan Smith
Penn State Basketball forward John Harrar opens up about playing for Micah Shrewsberry, his commitment to the Nittany Lions, and much more
Perhaps Delaware County’s most famous Nittany Lion, Penn State Basketball starting center John Harrar, sat down with Victory Bell Rings to talk about Pat Chambers, Micah Shrewsberry, and the launch of his new fan direct app.
Harrar’s NIL app will offer fans the opportunity to become true “Insiders,” enabling exclusive access and benefits.
Developed by ReKTGlobal, the creator economy juggernaut that bridges the gap between traditional sports and esports, the apps revolutionize the way sports figures and celebrities interact with their fans. The apps give athletes a platform to grant their fans access to exclusive content, take part in member-only fan experiences, purchase exclusive merchandise in a private marketplace, and more.
“I’ve made it my mission to interact with a lot of fans,” Harrar told FanSided, on this opportunity for increased fan engagement with Nittany Nation. “The app can help communicate and reach out to (fans).
“I dressed up for Halloween, I took my girlfriend to a concert. We do live streams and it’s all about connecting to those that support Penn State Basketball.”
Readers can download the app in the app stores for their devices by simply searching “John Harrar.”
Harrar chose ReKTGlobal through a connection to former Penn State Basketball head coach Pat Chambers, whose brother-in-law, Mike Flanagan, works with ReKTGlobal as the co-founder of NIL Direct LLC.
Flanagan previously served as the PSU Hoops Club President. “If I could partner up with someone who loves Penn State hoops, let’s do it,” Harrar explained.
And speaking of Pat Chambers…
John Harrar opens up about some of Penn State Basketball’s biggest storylines
When asked about his best basketball memory of former coach Pat Chambers, Harrar immediately went to Penn State’s win over Michigan State at the Breslin Center.
The Lions’ 75-70 win on February 4th, 2020 was Penn State’s first win at Michigan State since 2009, and just their fourth win vs Sparty since 2003 (with two wins coming at neutral sites: the Palestra in 2017 and the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals in Indianapolis in 2011).
“Coach comes into the locker room (post-game) with no shirt, flexing,” Harrar recalls. “And we poured water over him … I had it in my head ‘this man is actually insane’.”
Harrar also spoke about how his relationship has not just continued since Chambers was let go from Penn State, but grown.
“This summer, we went to dinner, seeing him with his family, and went to Rita’s with his kids and my mom,” Harrar says. “It was a cool moment for him to sit down and talk, it really meant a lot to my mother.”
Harrar consistently spoke about how he views Pat Chambers as a father figure, something he first mentioned on he and Myreon Jones’ podcast, the Midnight Domino Show (and they are working on getting more episodes for fans!)
Ironically, at one point, there was a chance that Harrar never would have played with Chambers, until his former head coach was influential in a life-changing decision for the now senior forward.
“I was a football player, I had nowhere to go for basketball,” Harrar says. “My high school coach sent a quick text to coach Chambers, because his brother played college hoops with Pat. The text said ‘I know this isn’t how this works but can you give (John) a tryout?’
“So I went up, battled against former Nittany Lion Satchel Pierce who ‘loved how I played’. Ever since that day, Pat has been a father figure to me, helping me figure things out and I talk to him all the time.”