Harris annually attends the graduations of players she recruited and coached.
“When they walk across that stage, you want to be there for them,” she said. “Education is the first thing you want to sell to young women. That’s important.”
Once, a player Harris recruited but didn’t coach, told Harris she was contemplating transferring.
“She said, ‘Momma, I’m leaving,” said Harris, using the player’s nickname for her. “I said, ‘Baby, I saw your game. You didn’t get a rebound. I would have benched you too. You don’t need to leave, you need to go rebound.’”
That’s the kind of tough love Auburn’s women’s basketball players can expect from their new coach.
“They are embracing it,” Harris said. “They know that we’re here for them, but they know that we’re demanding. We don’t apologize for that. That’s what it’s going to take to get to the next level.”
While the scoreboard will ultimately tell how quickly Auburn can return to prominence in women’s basketball, Harris will see signs of progress during the process.
“You can tell by attitude, by actions, by how practices are going,” she said. “It starts in their conditioning. It’s academics, how hard they’re working. All of that translates onto the floor. Some of our better teams have been our higher GPA teams, because those are the kids who take care of business on and off the court.”
While Harris has recruited and coached several players who have enjoyed WNBA careers, she focuses on preparing student-athletes for success outside the arena.
“Our goal is to make them all pros,” she said. “That may not be in basketball, but in life they’re going to be pros. Our program is going to model the behaviors we’re teaching them: working hard, doing extra, being a pro every day on and off the court.”
Auburn women’s basketball has competed on the sport’s biggest stage. Johnnie Harris, the Lord of the Rings, hopes to take the Tigers back to the top and add more jewelry to her collection.
“We’re going to build this program,” she said. “We’re going to build it right. This community has been awesome. Our best is coming. If people get behind this program, they’ll enjoy what they’re seeing.
“It’s been done here before and we’re going to do it again.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
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'We're going to do it again': Auburn women's basketball's Johnnie Harris pursues rings - Auburn Tigers Official Athletic Site
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