North Carolina State University Athletics
CARR: Getting It Done The Harper Way
10/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
AJ Carr, a 51-year veteran of the sports writing ranks, has joined the GoPack.com staff as a contributing writer. A Wallace, N.C., native and a graduate of Guilford College, Carr spent more than 42 years on the staff at the Raleigh News & Observer, covering generations of Wolfpack sports. Both of his sons, Greg and Brad, are NC State graduates.
BY A.J. CARR
RALEIGH, N.C. - In the NC State women's basketball complex, pictures of late, beloved Wolfpack coach Kay Yow adorn one wall.
Down the corridor, in a spacious, neatly decorated office, University of Tennessee coaching icon Pat Summitt peers from a glossy photo.
"I wish I could be like those legends, but I have to be me," said first-year Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper, essentially repeating a message she gave her players at the inaugural team meeting.
Truth is, being 32-year old Kellie Harper is pretty cool. So suggests her playing and coaching resume and so think State players, who have been working with their new mentor since early August.
They talk about her energy level with a wide-eyed expression. They like the passion she brings and the compassion she has shown them during this transition period.
"We love her," said junior forward Tia Bell. "We admire that she understands the emotional situation and stress we had been through [losing coach Yow, who died of cancer in January]. She is really supportive. She's open minded and includes us in a lot of decisions."
Said senior guard Sharnise Beal: "She has done a good job making everybody feel comfortable; she's very upbeat."
On the court, Harper, a trim, fit former all-star point guard who still looks as if she could engineer the secondary break, is hands on, all over the place. In addition to teaching, she hops in team drills and works out with players in the weight room.
She can be vocal, yell if I have to, but is never profane. When really upset, she's apt to vent Dad Gum it! More often players will hear Jeepers Creepers! with a country twang.
"We feed off her energy," said sophomore forward Bonae Holston.
To get the job done the Harper way, it takes a strong motor. Besides working out and bonding with the team, she has been recruiting, contacting former players, chatting with fans and attending more meetings than President Barack Obama.
For example, during a recent week, she settled into her 12th meeting -- and it was only Thursday.
"I understand it's part of the job, Harper said, cheerfully.
MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES
As a standout player and All-Academic Southeastern Conference student for Tennessee's Summitt, Harper went to the summit.
A point guard who could dish and shoot the three, she helped the Lady Vols win three national championships, go 39-0 one season, and twice was named to the All-Final Four team.
As a coach she contributed to three Southern Conference championships in an assistant's role at Chattanooga under head coach Wes Moore, a former Yow assistant back in the 90's. And in five seasons as a head coach, Harper guided Western Carolina to three SoCon titles.
"I expect to win and expect to be the best and it bothers me when I'm not the best," said Harper, who grew up in Sparta, Tenn., with parents who played college basketball and whose father was a high school coach.
At birth, it seemed she was born to hoop it up. First day home from the hospital, her parents put a basketball in her hands and snapped a picture.
INSPIRATIONAL SYMBOLS
When Harper arrived at State, Wolfpack players asked to see her championship rings, which she keeps in a jewelry box given by assistant Stephanie McCormick. On the lid is a Bible verse, paraphrased from 2 Corinthians: "Our goal is to measure up to God's plan for us."
Harper, a strong Christian along with her husband and assistant coach, Jon, wants to add more rings while at State.
In pursuing that goal, she initiated a few changes.
Pre-season workouts started earlier than in previous years, since the second day of classes. Players drilled five days a week, going twice at 6 a.m.
While sleeping in was preferable, Tia Bell said, "I think we've gained mental toughness from the pre-dawn practices.
Also, there are curfews -- midnight during the week, 11 p.m. before games. Appearance is another issue. Nobody is allowed to add any visible tattoos.
Schematically, Harper favors an uptempo style featuring a 4-out-1 in motion offense. Defensively, she prefers man-to-man, but keeps a modified matchup-zone in her repertoire.
"We are much more uptempo," Bell said. "[While] small, we are very athletic. I think her philosophy fits our personnel."
TENNESSEE TRAINING
Harper gleaned much from Tennessee's Summitt, the all-time winningest women's college coach with more than 1,000 victories.
"She was great to play for," Harper said. "She ran a classy program, would do things right, from appearance, [to] how you travel, [to] how you treat people.
"She was always poised on the bench and utilized her assistants."
Harper tries to emulate several of those Summitt-like traits, particularly staying composed in the heated, pressurized moments and taking suggestions from her staff.
She might not have the Wolfpack pep band belting out UT's Rocky Top, but Harper wants to take NC State to the top.
To climb that mountain, it means bringing in more elite talent on a consistent basis. First, winning in her own backyard is a colossal challenge, with North Carolina and Duke already long, established national powers.
"Recruiting is the way to make the biggest jump," Harper said. "If we can get a kid on campus, we can sell 'em."
HELP FROM HUBBY
Husband-assistant Jon is here to help. Kellie says "we don't always agree", but notes they complement each other.
Her speciality centers more around the X's and O's, scheming, mixing and matching personnel. And Jon's?
"He's the best in time-and-score situations I've ever seen," Kellie said. "That takes a lot of pressure off me."
What does Jon think of his boss/wife?
He paused, chuckled, then explained: "We have a lot of respect for what each brings to the table. It may not work for some [couples], but it works well for us. She is very receptive to assistant's ideas...doesn't claim to know it all. She wants to do what is best."
They take the game home, talk basketball, analyze and internalize. Together they enjoy the victories. Together, they suffer in defeat, but deal with setbacks differently.
"She won't eat after a loss," Jon said. "I'm [upset], but I will eat."
Away from the game, their life includes attending church regularly and enjoying recreational activities.
Jon is an avid golfer, capable of shooting in the 70s. Kellie plays occasionally, but prefers riding her two horses, which she calls "a great stress relief."
They're settling in, enjoying the Triangle area. And as for the coaching job at State, Kellie says: "I think this is a good fit."
BY A.J. CARR
RALEIGH, N.C. - In the NC State women's basketball complex, pictures of late, beloved Wolfpack coach Kay Yow adorn one wall.
Down the corridor, in a spacious, neatly decorated office, University of Tennessee coaching icon Pat Summitt peers from a glossy photo.
"I wish I could be like those legends, but I have to be me," said first-year Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper, essentially repeating a message she gave her players at the inaugural team meeting.
Truth is, being 32-year old Kellie Harper is pretty cool. So suggests her playing and coaching resume and so think State players, who have been working with their new mentor since early August.
They talk about her energy level with a wide-eyed expression. They like the passion she brings and the compassion she has shown them during this transition period.
"We love her," said junior forward Tia Bell. "We admire that she understands the emotional situation and stress we had been through [losing coach Yow, who died of cancer in January]. She is really supportive. She's open minded and includes us in a lot of decisions."
Said senior guard Sharnise Beal: "She has done a good job making everybody feel comfortable; she's very upbeat."
On the court, Harper, a trim, fit former all-star point guard who still looks as if she could engineer the secondary break, is hands on, all over the place. In addition to teaching, she hops in team drills and works out with players in the weight room.
She can be vocal, yell if I have to, but is never profane. When really upset, she's apt to vent Dad Gum it! More often players will hear Jeepers Creepers! with a country twang.
"We feed off her energy," said sophomore forward Bonae Holston.
To get the job done the Harper way, it takes a strong motor. Besides working out and bonding with the team, she has been recruiting, contacting former players, chatting with fans and attending more meetings than President Barack Obama.
For example, during a recent week, she settled into her 12th meeting -- and it was only Thursday.
"I understand it's part of the job, Harper said, cheerfully.
MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES
As a standout player and All-Academic Southeastern Conference student for Tennessee's Summitt, Harper went to the summit.
A point guard who could dish and shoot the three, she helped the Lady Vols win three national championships, go 39-0 one season, and twice was named to the All-Final Four team.
As a coach she contributed to three Southern Conference championships in an assistant's role at Chattanooga under head coach Wes Moore, a former Yow assistant back in the 90's. And in five seasons as a head coach, Harper guided Western Carolina to three SoCon titles.
"I expect to win and expect to be the best and it bothers me when I'm not the best," said Harper, who grew up in Sparta, Tenn., with parents who played college basketball and whose father was a high school coach.
At birth, it seemed she was born to hoop it up. First day home from the hospital, her parents put a basketball in her hands and snapped a picture.
INSPIRATIONAL SYMBOLS
When Harper arrived at State, Wolfpack players asked to see her championship rings, which she keeps in a jewelry box given by assistant Stephanie McCormick. On the lid is a Bible verse, paraphrased from 2 Corinthians: "Our goal is to measure up to God's plan for us."
Harper, a strong Christian along with her husband and assistant coach, Jon, wants to add more rings while at State.
In pursuing that goal, she initiated a few changes.
Pre-season workouts started earlier than in previous years, since the second day of classes. Players drilled five days a week, going twice at 6 a.m.
While sleeping in was preferable, Tia Bell said, "I think we've gained mental toughness from the pre-dawn practices.
Also, there are curfews -- midnight during the week, 11 p.m. before games. Appearance is another issue. Nobody is allowed to add any visible tattoos.
Schematically, Harper favors an uptempo style featuring a 4-out-1 in motion offense. Defensively, she prefers man-to-man, but keeps a modified matchup-zone in her repertoire.
"We are much more uptempo," Bell said. "[While] small, we are very athletic. I think her philosophy fits our personnel."
TENNESSEE TRAINING
Harper gleaned much from Tennessee's Summitt, the all-time winningest women's college coach with more than 1,000 victories.
"She was great to play for," Harper said. "She ran a classy program, would do things right, from appearance, [to] how you travel, [to] how you treat people.
"She was always poised on the bench and utilized her assistants."
Harper tries to emulate several of those Summitt-like traits, particularly staying composed in the heated, pressurized moments and taking suggestions from her staff.
She might not have the Wolfpack pep band belting out UT's Rocky Top, but Harper wants to take NC State to the top.
To climb that mountain, it means bringing in more elite talent on a consistent basis. First, winning in her own backyard is a colossal challenge, with North Carolina and Duke already long, established national powers.
"Recruiting is the way to make the biggest jump," Harper said. "If we can get a kid on campus, we can sell 'em."
HELP FROM HUBBY
Husband-assistant Jon is here to help. Kellie says "we don't always agree", but notes they complement each other.
Her speciality centers more around the X's and O's, scheming, mixing and matching personnel. And Jon's?
"He's the best in time-and-score situations I've ever seen," Kellie said. "That takes a lot of pressure off me."
What does Jon think of his boss/wife?
He paused, chuckled, then explained: "We have a lot of respect for what each brings to the table. It may not work for some [couples], but it works well for us. She is very receptive to assistant's ideas...doesn't claim to know it all. She wants to do what is best."
They take the game home, talk basketball, analyze and internalize. Together they enjoy the victories. Together, they suffer in defeat, but deal with setbacks differently.
"She won't eat after a loss," Jon said. "I'm [upset], but I will eat."
Away from the game, their life includes attending church regularly and enjoying recreational activities.
Jon is an avid golfer, capable of shooting in the 70s. Kellie plays occasionally, but prefers riding her two horses, which she calls "a great stress relief."
They're settling in, enjoying the Triangle area. And as for the coaching job at State, Kellie says: "I think this is a good fit."
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