Former Wake Forest standout and Tusculum College head coach Adell Harris is in her fifth season as head coach of the UNCW women’s basketball program. Harris became the 10th head coach in school history on May 3, 2012.
During the 2015-16 season, Harris led the Seahawks to a pair of CAA wins over Towson in addition to a league victory over William & Mary after claiming non-conference triumphs over UNC Pembroke, North Florida, Jacksonville and Norfolk State. Senior guard Shatia Cole received Third-Team All-CAA honors while junior guard Amber Reeves and sophomore center Rebekah Banks were named to the CAA's All-Academic Team.
Under the leadership of Harris, a young roster of just three upperclassmen and 10 underclassmen led UNCW to 14 wins and a fifth place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association standings in 2014-15. The Seahawks finished with a 10-8 mark in league play, marking just the fifth time in school history with 10 or more conference wins.
The team success was also highlighted by great individual accomplishments. The season included four different players earning CAA Player of the Week notice, including senior Kelva Atkins and sophomores Ryan Flowers, Naqaiyyah Teague, and Brie Mobley. Atkins also garnered All-CAA first team honors while Mobley earned a spot on the All-CAA second team.
In addition, the Trask Coliseum single-game scoring record was broken twice during the 2014-15 campaign. Atkins broke the previous record by scoring 40 points in a win against Charleston Southern in December. Just over two months later, Mobley scored 46 points in an overtime victory over Delaware. In honor of her 46-point performance, Mobley was featured as part of ESPN’s
Sportscenter Top 10 Performers as well as earning “Star of the Night” recognition from ESPN anchor Kevin Connors.
Atkins, who was the first recruit signed by Harris at UNCW, capped her amazing collegiate career with 1,329 career points, the fifth-highest total in school history. In addition, she ended her college career ranked among the Seahawks’ all-time leaders in field goals made, three-point field goals made, free throws made, assists and steals.
Tasked with one of the youngest and shortest rosters in the nation, which included six freshmen and one junior, Harris piloted the 2013-14 Seahawks to wins over league foes Towson and William & Mary in addition to non-conference foe Northern Kentucky. Harris also led the squad to another solid appearance in the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship, guiding the Seahawks to a first-round victory over the Tribe before bowing out in a closely-contested contest to eventual tournament champion James Madison.
Individually, Atkins enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2013-14 as she ranked among the top four players in the CAA in points (15.8 ppg), rebounds (5.5 rpg), assists (3.2 apg) and steals (2.1 spg) while earning Second-Team All-CAA in addition to All-Tournament Team accolades at the CAA Championship and Cancun Challenge. Mobley also shined by averaging 11.7 points per game to garner CAA All-Rookie Team distinction.
In her first season in the Port City, Harris led the Seahawks to victories over league foes Georgia State, Northeastern and William & Mary. She also guided the squad to an impressive showing in the 2013 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship with an opening-round triumph over George Mason and near upset of eventual tournament champion Delaware in the quarterfinals.
Harris was also instrumental in her players’ individual development during the 2012-13 season. Senior Karneshia Garrett was a third team All-CAA selection after leading the team in both scoring (10.8) and rebounding (11.0) while Atkins earned All-Tournament Team honors at the CAA Championship.
Off the court, the Seahawks have excelled in the classroom under Harris’ tutelage. The team’s grade point average has improved to 2.59 before her arrival to an impressive 3.21 in 2014-15, the team’s highest mark in nine years. In addition, the program’s academic progress rate (APR) has also increased from .911 to 1.000 in 2015-16.
The CAA has also recognized the academic achievements of the Seahawks. Diana Venezia was recognized on the CAA All-Academic Team in 2012-13, while Reeves is a three-time All-Academic selection. In 2014-15, the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award, which recognizes student-athletes earning at least a 3.20 grade point average based on semester performance or accumulative GPA, was awarded to six members, including Atkins, Reeves, senior Sarah Myatt, junior Shatia Cole, and freshmen Madison Raque and Rebekah Banks.
Community service and home attendance have also been priorities throughout Harris’ tenure at UNCW. The team has volunteered over 400 hours in each of her first three years in the Port City community. Activities include building homes with Habitat for Humanity, playing baseball with special needs children with Miracle League of Wilmington, participating in Field Day for the Brigade Boys & Girls Club, initiating a reading program at College Park Elementary School and gift wrapping for local families in need during the Christmas season at DREAMS of Wilmington.
Attendance has also been on the rise for the Seahawks during Harris’ first three years at the Port City. Season ticket holders have nearly tripled from 111 in 2012-13 to 330 during the 2014-15 campaign. UNCW also ranked third in the CAA during last season, averaging 945 fans per home game at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks hosted two Seahawk Tomorrow games last year, bringing in thousands of local elementary schools to Trask Coliseum as part of near capacity crowds.
Harris took over the Seahawk program following a successful three-year stint as head coach of Tusculum. She guided the NCAA Division II school to a 61-30 overall record, back-to-back Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championships (2010 and 2011) and three consecutive appearances to the NCAA Tournament, including its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight after capturing the program’s first Southeast Region Championship in 2009-10.
Harris was instrumental in the development of many of the top players in Tusculum history. Guard Jasmine Gunn was named the program’s first consensus Division II All-American, Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year and SAC Player of the Year after ranking among the top-10 players in the nation in scoring (21.6) during her junior season. Gunn repeated as SAC Player of the Year the following season to finish her career second in school history and third in league history with 2,180 points.
In addition, guard Kendal Baxter set a school and league record with 105 three-pointers during her freshman season on her way to earning SAC All-Rookie Team accolades. Center Catherine Hintz earned MVP honors at the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional.
Prior to taking the reins at Tusculum, Harris spent six seasons at UNC Asheville (2003-09), serving as an assistant and associate head coach. She helped the Bulldogs capture their first Big South Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006-07 and mentored nine All-Big South Conference honorees, including a pair of BSC Rookie of the Year honorees in Brittany Hendley (2004) and Kyla Jones (2007).
A four-year letter winner at Wake Forest, Harris played in 106 games during her career with the Demon Deacons from 1998-2002. She paced Coach Charlene Curtis’ squad with 108 assists and averaged 4.6 points per game during her senior season as co-captain. Harris, who finished her career in 10th place on the WFU career assists chart, graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.
A member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Harris began her coaching career as head coach of the Piedmont X-Press AAU team from 1998-2003. Following her graduation from Wake Forest, she served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point, N.C., during the 2002-03 campaign.
Harris Year-by-Year
| Year |
School |
Role |
Record |
Postseason |
| 2003-04 |
UNC Asheville |
Assistant Coach |
19-9 |
|
| 2004-05 |
UNC Asheville |
Assistant Coach |
18-12 |
|
| 2005-06 |
UNC Asheville |
Assistant Coach |
15-13 |
|
| 2006-07 |
UNC Asheville |
Assistant Coach |
21-12 |
Big South Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament |
| 2007-08 |
UNC Asheville |
Associate Head Coach |
12-18 |
|
| 2008-09 |
UNC Asheville |
Associate Head Coach |
10-20 |
|
| 2009-10 |
Tusculum |
Head Coach |
23-10 |
SAC Tournament Champions, NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2010-11 |
Tusculum |
Head Coach |
21-9 |
SAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament |
| 2011-12 |
Tusculum |
Head Coach |
17-11 |
NCAA Tournament |
| 2012-13 |
UNCW |
Head Coach |
5-26 |
|
| 2013-14 |
UNCW |
Head Coach |
5-27 |
|
| 2014-15 |
UNCW |
Head Coach |
14-16 |
|
| 2015-16 |
UNCW |
Head Coach |
7-23 |
|
