Boothbay basketball three-year starter Finn Harkins is having another strong performance on the hardwood this winter. Each game, he draws the opponents’ toughest defender or defenders who attempt to shut down Seahawks’ scoring. Despite all the special attention, he routinely scores in double figures, and usually is the Seahawks’ leading scorer. On Jan. 2, the Waynflete Flyers engaged in an unusual defensive alignment in which the defender face-guarded Harkins attempting to deny him the ball. 

The strategy had some success. The Flyers won an overtime thriller in Portland, 72-70, but Harkins scored 40. For Harkins, the 40-point performance is now more of a memory than an achievement. “It was an amazing game. It was a small gym with about 100, but the atmosphere was amazing. Our JV team sat near the bench, and their cheering just made for an electric atmosphere,” he said. “But we lost, so scoring 40 really didn’t mean as much.”

Entering the season, Boothbay coach Dan Halinan proclaimed Harkins as “one of the top five players in the Mountain Valley Conference.” Harkins’ 40-point performance is the second highest individual game total in school history, behind Phil Page’s 41 (1971-72). Harkins has come to expect teams will focus their defensive tactics on him each game. “It’s a little frustrating, but I try to look at it as a compliment,” he said.

Harkins’ progression as a player isn’t surprising to his coach.  At 6’3”, Harkins is long, lanky and possesses a deadly 3-point jump shot. “The way he has transformed his level of play is truly remarkable. I don’t know as if I have seen a high school student athlete at Boothbay Region progress and evolve his/her game in the stages Finn has been able to do,” Halinan said. 

Harkins’ team contribution isn’t limited to scoring. He is a team captain, and his leadership has also impressed his coach. The Seahawks (3-11) are in 15th place in the Class C South Heal point standings, and battling to secure the final playoff spot (12th). Despite a losing record, Boothbay has remained competitive this season. “Finn has played a significant contribution in allowing us to remain competitive in a tough Mountain Valley Conference. He continues to perform at a very high level on a nightly basis, and remains positive, coachable, and leaves his heart and soul on the court and to our team without any question.”

Harkins’ athletic prowess isn’t limited to basketball. He is also a top baseball player. This spring, he will be the ace of the Boothbay pitching staff. As a sophomore, he pitched in the school’s first playoff win in numerous seasons. In the quarterfinals, he pitched against the eventual Class C State Champion Lisbon Greyhounds. Boothbay led 2-1 in the fifth inning before several fielding errors allowed Lisbon to advance, 5-2. “He is an outstanding player who is head and shoulders a leader on the field,” said Boothbay baseball coach Ed Crocker. 

As a pitcher, Harkins uses four pitches (fastball, curve, slider and change-up). He especially enjoys the individual battle between pitcher and hitter. “I love having the ball in my hand, and having a major impact on every play,” he said. “I really like the mental game. I set the batter up with a couple of inside fastballs, and get them swinging on a breaking ball away.”

One sport he doesn’t play is football. You’d think he’d be a natural considering his great-grandfather is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Harkins is the great grandson of Otto Graham, who played in 10 consecutive pro football championship games. The Cleveland Browns won four All-American Football Conference and three NFL championships between 1946 and 1955. Graham was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.

But Harkins’ early focus was on baseball and basketball. He didn’t have the same passion for football. “I was always more passionate about the other sports and I was concerned a football injury would prevent me from enjoying those two,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like football. Harkins described himself as a passionate sports fan. “The Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots. I root for all of them. Boston all the way!” he said. During the NFL season, he watches the Patriots with his father, Adam Harkins, and brother, Harrison Hinckley. The family doesn’t just watch the games, they also make it an event. “Football Sundays are all a theme-day. If the Pats play the Dolphins we eat Swedish Fish or if it’s the Eagles, we eat Philly cheesesteaks.”

When asked what he does outside of athletics, Harkins took a long pause. “My life revolves a lot around sports. If I’m not playing or watching, I’m in the gym training,” he said. “As a typical teen, I liking playing video games.” His favorite video game is “Rocket League.”

But Harkins is more than an athlete. He is a National Honor Society member, senior class vice president and Boothbay Region High School Student Health Advisory Board member. 

After high school, he plans on attending a four-year college. He hasn’t picked a school or decided whether he will play a collegiate sport. “If I do, I will probably attend a Division III school,” Harkins said.

This summer, he will play his second season for the Boothbay American Legion baseball team. His last Boothhbay baseball coach will be his first coach: His father. Finn Harkins praises Adam Harkins for introducing the game to him in T-Ball and coaching him in Little League, middle school and American Legion. “My love of baseball comes from my father. I owe a lot to him,” he said. 

Finn’s passion for sports will likely last into his adult profession. He plans on studying sports management in college. “I’m thinking this is something I want to pursue either as an agent, working for a team, coaching or broadcasting,” he said. 

Finn is the son of Adam and Amy Harkins and Lauren Graham and Bar Clarke.