There’s not a day that goes by that Brendan Harden doesn’t look up to the Heavens and think about his late father. 

Marc Harden was just 46 years old when he drowned on an outing with friends back in 2019, leaving the Long Beach resident and full-time First Break Academy tennis pro Brendan to commit more time than ever to his two younger siblings, 22-year-old Kellie and Kamden, age 12. 

“It’s been tough not having a man of the house and father in the house,” said Brendan, 24, who also has an older brother, Marc Jr. “It’s not easy. Sometimes it feels like I had no time to grow up. Once he passed, I had to take on that role of one of the leaders in the house.”

Harden thinks back to his humble beginnings in tennis at age 10, and knows his father would be proud of where he is today teaching young kids a sport they could likely play for a lifetime. 

Harden grew up in Carson and was introduced to tennis after attending Tony Brock’s Safe Passage Rally Ball program. He dedicated himself to getting better and better and eventually made the Lakewood High School varsity team as a freshman.  

Harden said his favorite tennis memory came during the Moore League semifinals as he squared off against one of Long Beach Poly’s top players. The two split sets and headed to a tiebreaker. 

“I remember how nervous I was before the tiebreaker,” Harden said. “But then I looked over and saw how nervous he was. I figured we’re both nervous so why not just relax and play my game. I ended up winning the match. That was definitely a big moment for me.”

By making the league finals, Harden qualified for the CIF-Southern Section Individual tournament.  

Harden played for Cerritos College for one year before Covid hit, derailing his playing career. After his father passed, Harden found himself driving young Kamden to practice at First Break Academy where he met director Jerome Jones who asked him if he played and encouraged Brandon to get back on court and help out with some clinics coaching the youngsters. 

“Then he offered me a job,” said Harden, who earned his AA degree at Cerritos and would like to continue his education at a four-year school. “I’ve been coaching full-time ever since, and I love it.”

Harden has been impressed with Kamden, who he often spends extra time with on the court. Considered one of the area’s top 12-year-olds, Kamden also takes a weekly lesson with the renowned Peter Smith at the Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates. 

“He’s improved so much over the past six months,” Harden said. “He wants to be a pro tennis player. I want to do whatever I can to help him reach that goal.” 

With Black History Month here, Harden says he feels a special appreciation during this month for African-American tennis heroes like Arthur Ashe who helped pave the way for players like him. “I will talk to the kids about what this month represents and how important it is to remember people like Martin Luther King Jr. and all they did during the Civil Rights movement. It’s too important not to think about it, especially during the month of February.”

You ask Harden about his future plans and goals and where he sees himself in five years and he says: “I would say in the next five years I see myself owning my own tennis academy. I see myself running my own junior program from red ball to yellow ball and training in every aspect of tennis that an academy would focus on.

“The biggest stumbling block is raising the money… I feel like I have the know-how and have learned so much from my experiences. I know how to coach every level of tennis.”