Laura Harper (basketball)

Laura Harper

Towson Tigers
Position	Head coach
League	CAA
Personal information
Born	(1986-04-11) April 11, 1986 (age 38) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Cheltenham (Wyncote, Pennsylvania)
College	Maryland (2004–2008)
WNBA draft	2008: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Monarchs
Playing career	2008–2013
Position	Power forward / center
Number	15
Coaching career	2013–present
Career history
As player:
2008–2009	Sacramento Monarchs
2008	Beşiktaş
2009–2010	Umana Reyer Venezia
2011–2012	Antakya
2012–2013	Dynamo Moscow
As coach:
2013–2014	Loyola (Maryland) (assistant)
2014–2016	High Point (assistant)
2016–2017	George Washington (assistant)
2017–2019	Florida (assistant)
2019–2020	Montverde Academy
2020–2022	Coppin State
2022–present	Towson
Career highlights and awards
NCAA champion (2006) NCAA Tournament MOP (2006) McDonald's All-American ([2004)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Women's Basketball U18 and U19 2004 U18 Mayaguez Team Competition

Laura Ashley Harper (born April 11, 1986) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head women's basketball coach at Towson University. She played professionally with the Sacramento Monarchs of the Women's National Basketball Association.

High school

Harper played for Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored nine points.^[1]

College

Laura Harper played college basketball at the University of Maryland and was part of the 2006 National Championship team. She tore her Achilles tendon during her freshman year, but battled back to become the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA tournament.^[2]

College statistics

Source:^[3]

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2004–05	Maryland	9	119	57.0	-	58.3	9.8	1.3	0.9	1.7	13.2
2005–06	Maryland	36	413	53.5	-	68.3	7.2	0.7	0.9	1.9	11.5
2006–07	Maryland	34	353	55.1	-	69.7	6.3	1.1	0.8	1.9	10.4
2007–08	Maryland	37	522	60.3	50.0	68.9	8.5	1.4	1.5	1.3	14.1
Career	Maryland	116	1,407	56.5	50.0	68.2	7.5	1.1	1.0	1.7	12.1

Professional playing career

Harper was selected in the first round of the 2008 WNBA draft, tenth overall, by the Sacramento Monarchs. As a rookie, she played 34 games and made one start. She averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.^[4]

After the WNBA season ended, she signed with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Women's Basketball League.^[4] She averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds in 10 games played with Beşiktaş.^[5]

In 2009, Harper returned to the Monarchs and started 11 of 33 games played. She averaged 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds.^[4] After the WNBA season, she signed with Umana Reyer Venezia of the Italian Serie A1.^[6] In 16 games with Venezia, she averaged 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds.^[7]

Due to injuries, Harper sat out the 2010 and 2011 WNBA seasons.^[4] She returned to action later in 2011, again in Europe, with Antakya of the Turkish league, averaging 13.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.^[8]

Harper played her final season of professional basketball in 2012–13 with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League. In 12 games, she averaged 7.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.^[9]

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2008	Sacramento	34	1	16.5	47.4	0.0	58.3	4.0	0.4	0.4	0.6	1.4	5.5
2009	Sacramento	33	11	13.9	38.8	0.0	73.2	3.4	0.6	0.4	0.7	1.3	4.5
Career	1 year, 3 teams	67	12	15.2	43.4	0.0	64.9	3.7	0.5	0.4	0.6	1.3	5.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2008	Sacramento	3	0	14.0	37.5	0.0	50.0	3.0	0.7	0.7	0.3	3.3	3.0
Career	1 year, 1 team	67	12	15.2	43.4	0.0	64.9	3.7	0.5	0.4	0.6	1.3	5.0

International career

Harper was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Harper started all five games and helped the team win the gold medal, scoring 12.8 points per game.^[10]

Coaching career

In May 2013, Harper became an assistant coach at American University.^[11] She left American to become an assistant at Loyola University Maryland in September 2013.^[12]

Harper moved to North Carolina to become an assistant coach at High Point University in June 2014.^[13]

Following High Point, Harper served as an assistant coach for a season at George Washington University before coaching for two seasons at University of Florida. She left Florida after the 2018–19 season to become the head coach at Montverde Academy on June 29, 2019.

Coppin State

On July 20, 2020, Harper was announced as the new head women's basketball coach at Coppin State University.^[14]

Towson University

On April 20, 2022, Towson University announced Harper as the new head coach of their women's basketball team.^[15] Harper was placed on administrative leave on May 19, 2023 for undisclosed reasons.^[16] She returned from her suspension on November 29, missing the first four games of the season.^[17]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Coppin State Eagles (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) (2020–2022)
2020–21	Coppin State	2–13	2–10	T–3rd (North)
2021–22	Coppin State	15–13	9–5	4th
Coppin State:		17–26 (.395)	11–15 (.423)
Towson Tigers (Colonial Athletic Association) (2022–2023)
2022–23	Towson	21–12	13–5	T-1st	WNIT First Round
2022–23	Towson	20–11	11–7	6th
Towson:		41–23 (.641)	24–12 (.667)
Total:		58–49 (.542)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

Personal life

Harper's father Haviland Harper, Jr. played basketball at George Washington and is currently a high school basketball coach and math teacher. Haviland Harper's great-uncle, David "Big Dave" DeJernett, was a pioneering Afro-American basketball star at both pro and amateur levels in the Midwest.

Notes

1. "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
2. "Player Bio: Laura Harper". Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
3. "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
4. "Laura Harper: Background". WNBA. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011.
5. "Laura Ashley Harper: Season 2008/2009". FIBA. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
6. "Umana, il nuovo centro è Laura Harper". La Nuova di Venezia. July 11, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
7. "Reyer Venezia Mistre Stats 2009-10". eurobasket.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
8. "Laura Harper". High Point University Athletics. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
9. "Dynamo Moscow Stats 2012-13". eurobasket.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
10. "Fifth Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team -- 2004". USA Basketball. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
11. "Laura Harper". American University. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
12. "Former WNBA and Maryland Standout Harper Joins WBB Staff". Loyola University Maryland. September 3, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
13. "Laura Harper joins women's basketball staff". High Point University. June 19, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
14. "Laura Harper selected as Coppin State Women's Basketball Head Coach". Coppin State University. July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
15. Laura Harper named women's basketball head coach
16. "Towson places women's basketball coach Laura Harper on leave". Baltimore Sun. May 20, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
17. Ott, Courtney (November 30, 2023). "Towson women's basketball claims win in Charm City Hoops Classic against Morgan State". Retrieved January 13, 2024.

External links

• WNBA Player Profile
• Maryland Terrapins bio
• Coppin State bio