![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Coach Keller reaches 600-win milestone
Varsity basketball head coach Samuel “Butch” Keller talks to his players. Keller reached his 600th career win on Tuesday.
January 12, 2017
The varsity boys basketball team defeated Crystal Springs Uplands last night and Head Coach Samuel “Butch” Keller reached the milestone of 600 wins in his career as a coach.
Keller has coached basketball for the past 31 years, including 25 seasons before he came to Harker.
“I think the only sport I haven’t coached is lacrosse, but basketball has just been [my] passion. I’d been fortunate enough to coach basketball for 25 years before I got here,” he said.
Keller did not initially intend to pick up coaching or teaching when he was in college.
“I did not go to college to be a coach or an educator, [but] things changed and I got an education degree and started coaching because it was going to pay my way through the rest of college,” he said.
Upon his arrival at Harker, Keller had expected to stop coaching in order to fulfill his duties at the school but found the opportunity to continue coaching basketball, starting with the girls team and then taking over as head coach of the boys varsity team.
Keller sees his milestone as simply a by-product of his long career as a coach.
“I’ve just been telling everyone it’s an attendance record. This is my 31st season for boys high school basketball and that’s where these 600 come from,” he said. “Six hundred, it just means you’ve been doing it a long time.”
Instead of his milestone, Keller emphasized the connections that he made with his team as the most everlasting products of his career.
“The connections as a member of a team are different than the connections that you make when you’re in chemistry class,” he said. “Those are the bonds and those are the friends that I have and the relationships that I have with alumni are the ones that I coached.”
Varsity co-captain Eric Jeong (11) described his feelings on his coach’s achievement.
“I’m just happy to be a part of such a momentous celebration,” Eric said. “I’m sure I speak for the whole team when I say we all have the utmost respect for what he’s done these past 31 years.”
Keller summed up his coaching attitude in a comparison of his gymnasium and a teacher’s classroom.
“I look forward to going to practice more than I do to games because the gym is a coach’s classroom. It’s just fun to be around young kids in that environment,” he said.
