Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Former national champion Laura Harper, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Final Four, joined the George Washington women's basketball staff as an assistant coach in the spring of 2016.
"I am blessed and honored to be welcomed amongst a proven group of winners," said Coach Harper, who, along with head coach Jennifer Rizzotti, gives the Colonials two national champions on the coaching staff. "I couldn't be more excited to learn from Coach Rizzotti, who has successfully made the transition I dream about from a respected athlete to a successful coach. I hope to proudly continue the legacy my father, Haviland Harper, Jr., began as a member of the Colonials' men's basketball team in the 1970s. I couldn't be more happy and proud to be at George Washington."
Harper comes to Foggy Bottom following two years as an assistant coach at High Point University, where she worked primarily with the post players and helped develop the 2015 Big South Player of the Year. In her first season at High Point, she helped guide the Panthers to the fourth 20-win campaign in the program's 17-year Division I era. In addition, under her oversight as the squad's academic liaison, the Panthers' team GPA jumped from 2.55 to 3.55.
Harper was an assistant coach at Loyola (Md.) during the 2013-14 season, and she also served as an assistant at American University in 2013.
"What impressed me most when talking to Laura is the confidence she has in being able to establish credibility as a successful college coach in the short time since she began her career," said Coach Rizzotti. "Like me when I first started, she was a former professional player that needed to figure out what it took to be successful on the other side. I am excited to welcome her to our staff and be able to be a part of her continued growth as a coach. Her success at Maryland as a player will always be part of who she is, but now I hope that together we can add that kind of excellence to her coaching résumé. I believe she has the passion and determination to help us get where we want to go."
Harper enjoyed a standout collegiate career at the University of Maryland, which included four berths in the NCAA Tournament, a national title in 2006 and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2008. She was named the 2006 Final Four MVP after averaging 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in six tournament games. A two-time candidate for the prestigious Naismith Trophy, Harper was a finalist for the national player of the year honor in 2007 and earned All-ACC Third Team accolades in 2008.
Inducted into the ACC Legends Class of 2014, Harper holds Maryland's record for blocked shots with 198 in her career, and she ranks seventh all-time in rebounds (873) and field goal percentage (.565) and 18th in points (1,407). A two-time team captain, her No. 15 jersey currently hangs from the rafters at the Xfinity Center in College Park.
Following her graduation, Harper was selected 10th overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs, where she played for two seasons.
Coach Harper also brings extensive international experience to Foggy Bottom, playing three seasons overseas in Turkey, Italy and Russia and earning a pair of All-Star accolades. In addition, she was a member of the United States U21 National Team, helping the squad to a gold medal at the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship in Russia. She was also a member of the 2004 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team which won a gold medal in Puerto Rico and earned a berth to the 2005 FIBA Junior World Championship, and she participated in the 2008 Good Luck Beijing Tournament, a warm-up event for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A native of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, Harper graduated from the University of Maryland in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
