Girls basketball | Southeast's Harder wins 750th game

When Southeast High School girls basketball coach John Harder looks back at the 34-year-old version of himself that took over the Seminoles in 1983, he recognizes one major difference from the coach he is today.

"I'd have to say that I enjoy it a lot more now," Harder said, "because I treasure each moment."

And there have been some truly treasurable moments along the way, including state championships in 1985, 1990 and 2014. There was also Friday's 68-22 win over Tampa Wharton, which happened to be Harder's 750th career victory.

After the game, Harder expressed thanks to the administration responsible for bringing him into the program, including longtime former Southeast football coach Paul Maechtle, former principal Pat Lucas, and the late John Kiker, the former athletic director, coach and namesake of the Seminoles' football stadium.

"They were the people that started this," Harder said.

Harder has taken Southeast to the playoffs 24 times in the 31 seasons prior to the current one -- including 16 straight seasons from 1997 through 2012 -- and this year's Seminoles are off to a flying 6-1 start and appear all but certain to make another playoff run.

Harder, 67, said he's enjoying coaching today as much or more than he ever has.

"I know I'm in the sunset years," Harder said. "I'm trying to put it all in perspective and you've got to appreciate things when you're my age and you see the kids work as hard as they do. It's a real blessing. It's the grace of God and it's why I'm still standing."

On Friday, Harder's Seminoles, playing in a holiday event at Sarasota High School, were led by sophomore Sophie Giardina, who poured in a game-high 19 points. Junior Tay Green added 11 points, followed by senior Breyonna Reed with nine points.

And while a blowout win in a relatively meaningless Thanksgiving tournament may not seem like much of an event, for Harder it offered the chance to think about both his past and his future.

Asked how much longer he might stay with the Seminoles, Harder only laughed.

"Eight hundred is next," he said. "Lord willing."

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Girls basketball | Southeast's Harder wins 750th game ."