John Harrar

Classroom

Harrar graduated in May of 2021, earning his degree in management. He is now pursuing a Master’s in Management and Organizational Leadership.

He was named to the 2020 NABC Honors Court and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Character

Harrar, the heart and soul of the program, elected to return to Penn State for a fifth year. He did so despite a coaching change last March.

He is a two-time recipient of the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award, which only 28 student-athletes receive each year. He is known for always brining a strong leadership presence and outstanding work ethic that has been praised by all.

“Harrar is a program builder. He’s a culture changer. He’s gonna help us long after he’s gone. His name will be synonymous with this place. I’ll make sure of that because of who he is. There’s film that will be shown to players long after this of him diving on loose balls, him fighting for offensive rebounds, him sprinting the floor as hard as possible to get back on transition defense. That’s gonna stick around forever. I’ll make sure he’s a guy that is always remembered because of that.”
- Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry

Community

In his time at Penn State, Harrar has been involved in multiple community service efforts. He has participated with the State College Area Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk and Coaches vs. Cancer. In addition, Harrar has volunteered at the Centre County United Way Day of Caring, where the Nittany Lions served breakfast to the 1,500 volunteers.

“I’ll be walking downtown and whenever someone will say, ‘I’m so glad you came back,’ my first response is, ‘Thanks for inviting me back’ because I felt very welcomed here in this community. That is what Penn State’s all about, really, is I think it’s the community you build here as you progress throughout your years. I want to come back with my kids, with my wife in the future and show them where I played all my years of college basketball, how much this community has helped me and then when I come, I can show them an example of when you give it your all to a community what they can do for you.”
- John Harrar

Competition

Harrar is coming off a breakout season for Penn State. He was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after averaging 8.8 points and leading the team with 8.8 rebounds per game last year.

In 2020, Harrar helped lead the Nittany Lions to a top-10 ranking and before the cancellation of the season. Penn State was poised to make their first NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade.

He owns a 56.8 field-goal percentage through his career, which spans 115 games. It ranks third in Penn State’s all-time record book.