I’ve never been one to stress over my lacrosse gear.

When I was a kid, I used whatever was given to me. That hasn’t changed much as I’ve gotten older, though my access to nicer equipment has obviously improved.

Of course, like everyone else, I still have preferences. If given the choice, I’m almost always picking something simple. The simpler, the icier. The only exception is if you can customize the colours and create the overall look you want.

I can be more particular about a few things, though. I was invited to a bike ride camp in grade 11 at the Nike facility in Oregon, and the gloves I got there are still in use. They make appearances whenever the Brock boys get a pick-up game going or I go shoot around, but those gloves are just too comfortable to give up. I swear by them.

When I do go out to shoot, I bring my net wrap custom made for me by MSNLazer. It helps me paint the corners, plus I really like pineapples. MSNLazer makes these net wraps custom made, so whether you’re like me and are passionate about pineapples or want something else to cover your net, you’ll get the same practice I am.

MSNLazer also made me my own wood shaft that’s tailor made to suit my needs and my game as a transition player. While I’m willing to use plenty of different sticks, it would be wrong of me to leave out this unique piece of equipment.

Shoes are another area where I know what I want. Lately, I’ve been using white Under Armours with blue laces for the contrast, but I’ve got my eyes on the Below Zero Kawhis from New Balance. I plan to scoop those as soon as possible.

This year, I’ve been trying out a new brand, TRUE, for a good portion of my lacrosse gear. I wasn’t unhappy with what I was using previously, but the opportunity arrived to check out something new, and I’m taking advantage. Maybe I’ve found my equipment provider of the future?

In the end, it’s function over fashion. Give me gear that works, and I’ll take it every time over something flashy that doesn’t, even if it’s the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen (well, okay, maybe not the ugliest thing, but I’m willing to look mediocre if it means my bucket is solid and my stick is strong).

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You learn a lot playing lacrosse. You especially learn a lot playing it professionally.

I entered the NLL at age 18 after being one of the youngest-ever players drafted into the league. Only one team showed me much interest before the 2016 NLL Draft, and you can guess which team I still play for now years later. I entered a locker room with full-grown men when I myself was barely one.

Very quickly, I learned that wasn’t an excuse. You can’t think of yourself as a small boy out there. That’s no good. You got drafted for a reason, and you’re in the game for a reason. Go play like it.

And this isn’t Junior A. You can’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off because you want the ball. You have to play with a high IQ, or you will be exposed.

Playing lacrosse also taught me to push my limits. There have been a few times on the bench during games where I’ve felt like I was close to passing out, and teammates told me things like, “You’re not quitting on me, it’s in your head, get out of your head and just play.” It turned out, they were right, and I forced myself not to quit on them.

That same line of thinking can be applied outside of playing lacrosse. This sport has taught me to stop overthinking situations and that my body can push a lot more than my mind thinks it can. Lacrosse can take you to many places you didn’t know.

Not that this has been an issue for me, but if you have any enemies and they join your team, the relationship has to change. You can’t hold grudges against your own teammates. That ruins the whole system of a team, and this also stands true outside of the lacrosse realm.

The professional aspect of my lacrosse life has introduced me to ideas I didn’t previously understand. For example, giving back to youth and community mean a lot more than a million-dollar paycheck. You don’t understand how much it means to see kids smile when they see you or to overhear them whispering to their friends excitedly that you’re around until it happens. You never forget that stuff.

And there is no million-dollar paycheck in lacrosse, at least not for me right now. Playing lacrosse is one of my jobs, and it’s just one of them. I have to work other things to make ends meet. I’m a regular person most of the time – it’s only when I go out and play that I have any kind of “celebrity.” This isn’t the NFL or NBA. We have to work every day, then get with the boys on the weekends to do our thing.

But that’s part of the beauty. Playing lacrosse allows me to be free and express myself while living in a world where you have to act a certain way. There are no instructions or restrictions in lacrosse for me. I just go out and play. It gives me something I don’t get anywhere else in my life, and I don’t know how else I would get it otherwise.

In the end, playing lacrosse is fun. That’s a simplistic way of putting it, but that’s my reality. I love being in a lacrosse environment. I love being around lacrosse people. I love having lacrosse conversations. There’s no other way to put it.

I’m a lacrosse player. I’m comfortable here. Playing lacrosse is where I’m meant to be. This my life, and I wouldn’t want it another way.

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I don’t have a picky style.

I’m not much of a formal person. You won’t usually see me in something with a collar or buttons. My style is about comfort first and foremost, and you can get that easier with other kinds of clothes.

That does not mean I never clean up, though. When duty calls, I can look fresh. Just peep my draft day footage.

Normally, I’m out in a Nike tech tracksuit or something similar. I’m a self-admitted huge tracksuit guy, so there is a good chance you will catch me in one out in public. And no, I am not Ricky from Trailer Park Boys, but it is possible my inner ego might be.

If I’m not rocking a tracksuit, I’m probably wearing some joggers, a pair of athletic shoes and a nice sweater or long-sleeve shirt, depending on the season. Just because I’m not going out in button-up shirts doesn’t mean I can’t combine comfort and looking good. If you find the right joggers, the right sweater and some fresh kicks, you can look solid while being ready to pick up the stick and throw the ball around at any moment. Plus, you can be warm, too.

But that’s off the field. It’s a different style when it comes to gamedays.

I always have to have my spandex leggings. Always. Usually it’s my longer ones, but sometimes I’ll switch it up and go with short spandex some games. But no matter what, I need to have my spandex to feel right when it’s game time.

The other hard and unquestionable rule I live by: white shoes and black socks are an absolute no. They do not mix. Never do it. I don’t care what your excuse is. There is no excuse. That’s an unforgivable. Never do it.

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I was raised by a single mother as one of three. Myself and my sisters were all athletes. Often, we would have games in different cities on the same day. My mum made 99 percent of them.

And we always had a roof to return to after.

It’s expensive to have a child. It’s very expensive to have three children. It seems unmanageable alone.

Yet, here I am.

Kerry Anne, known in some circles under the alas K-Money, has been a personal support worker at a nursing home for 27 years. She also managed two salons in St. Catharines. Before the pandemic, she pulled some night duty shifts, too. She always has something going on, something to do.

The bills were paid. We weren’t rich, but we weren’t homeless, and we weren’t hungry. And we were loved.

My mum made my sisters and me the most important thing in her life. She would drive from St. Catharines to Oakville and back for my lacrosse practice and my sister’s soccer game. She was always there to support us. We were her priority.

I was fortunate enough to be drafted by the Toronto Rock four years ago. Not only is it a great organization I’m proud to represent, but it’s close to my home. That affords me luxuries I wouldn’t have elsewhere.

I’m able to live at home with my family. I have homecooked meals. I have the physical support and love of my people every day.

I would be very miserable right now if I didn’t have my mum in my life as I do. I love her, for everything that she is and for everything she has done for our family. I am deeply thankful for her.

She taught me to always be respectful. She taught me to use my manners. She taught me to never discriminate. She taught me how to balance a budget. She taught me how to get things done.

My mum brings my sisters, my grandma, and sometimes my other grandma to all my games. She comes sporting full Rock attire, and she’s a yeller. She likes to make sure she’s heard in the arena.

My family always sits in the same spot. Before the ref blows the whistle for the faceoff, we always look at each other. It’s my way of acknowledging her for what she’s done to get me here.

I am here, because she is here.

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Welcome to the Latrell Harris Music Playlist!

These are 20 of my favorite songs that I consistently have in my rotation, and if you don’t know, you’ll know soon that I’m a hip hop head.  It’s not all I listen to, but it’s pretty dominant in my tastes. I like hip hop from a range of times, though – Biggie Smalls goes so hard that I think my entire family could recite “Juicy” word-for-word, Lil Wayne might as well have narrated my hockey days, and Lil Baby is one of the several more current artists I bump.

If you like hip hop, then this playlist should be a good time. If you don’t, well, sorry.

Latrell Harris Music Playlist

The Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy (Ready to Die, 1994)

Drake – The Motto (Take Care, 2011)

Lil Baby – The Bigger Picture (My Turn (Deluxe), 2020)

Lil Baby – Never Needed No Help (Harder Than Ever, 2018)

Lil Wayne – 3 Peat (Tha Carter III, 2008)

Lil Wayne – Mr. Carter ft. JAY-Z (Tha Carter III, 2008)

J Cole – Power Trip ft. Miguel (Born Sinner, 2013)

Mac Miller – Nikes on My Feet (K.I.D.S., 2010)

Jack Harlow – Tyler Herro (2020)

Drake – Over (Thank Me Later, 2010)

Brent Faiyaz – Dead Man Walking (2020)

Kendrick Lamar – Money Trees ft. Jay Rock (good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012)

iann dior – Prospect ft. Lil Baby (I’m Gone, 2020)

JAY-Z, Kanye West – Otis (Watch The Throne, 2011)

Polo G – Martin & Gina (THE GOAT, 2020)

Rich The Kid – Woah ft. Miguel &Ty Dolla $ign (The World Is Yours 2, 2019)

Serani – No Games (No Games, 2009)

Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From (Right Back Where We Started From, 1976)

21 Savage, Metro Boomin – Mr. Right Now ft. Drake (SAVAGE MODE II, 2020)

If this personal selection of mostly hip hop is something you’d like blasting in your car speakers, you can follow this playlist on Spotify!

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If you know me, you know my love for candy.

To say I have a sweet tooth would be like saying the Cookie Monster has a sugar preference. When it comes to candy, I don’t play. This is where it gets serious.

Top 5 Candy I Can’t Live Without

Tropical Starburst

You simply cannot beat the best. Starbursts in general are the greatest overall candy there is, from the traditional style to the minis to the duo-flavored version, but tropical Starbursts are just too good to be true.

Tropical Skittles

There may be a trend here – give me a tropical flavoring, and I will buy your candy. And if you do it was well as Skittles does, I will regularly buy your candy. Skittles may or may not be part of why Marshawn Lynch is my all-time favorite athlete.

Fruity Mentos

Oh buddy, don’t get between me and my fruity Mentos. As far as I’m concerned, these don’t get enough love, and I willing to fight for my love. I will carry my fruity Mentos with me to my grave.

Airheads

Any color, it doesn’t matter. For 25 cents, you can have all the sweet candy taste marinading your taste buds. Find me a better deal in the candy world, I dare you.

No, seriously, please, I would appreciate it. I really like candy.

Maynards Sour Watermelons

I have to show some love to my favorite sour candy. Why eat real watermelon when you can have it in bite-sized pieces with sugar and sour combining to numb your taste buds into submission? There’s no better way to start the day.

I understand if you’re concerned for my teeth. My dentist is, too. But don’t worry – I brush my teeth every morning, every night, and sometimes after dinner. These boys are covered. My NLL career puts them in more danger, anyway.

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