Adell Harris

  Head Women's Basketball Coach
  Alma Mater: Wake Forest, 2002
  E-mail: aharris@tusculum.edu
  Office Phone: (423) 636-7329

Adell Harris took the Tusculum women’s basketball program to new heights in her first season at the helm, leading the Pioneers to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight while capturing the school’s first Southeast Region Championship. Harris also led the Pioneers to their first-ever postseason ranking, concluding the campaign as the ninth-ranked in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

The High Point, N.C. native guided the Pioneers to their first-ever Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament title, jumpstarting a magical NCAA Tournament run that including victories over the top three seeds in the Southeast Region Tournament. The 2009-10 Pioneers posted the program’s third-straight 20-win season, winning 14 of their last 17 contests en route to a 23-10 overall record while finishing the campaign as one of the hottest teams in the nation.

Tusculum also added an impressive collection of individual hardware to its mantle in Coach Harris’ first year at the helm, led by junior point guard Jasmine Gunn, who became the first player in the program’s history at the NCAA Division II level to be named a consensus All-American in the WBCA/State Farm, Daktronics, and Women’s Division II Bulletin programs.

Gunn also became the program’s first Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year, while garnering the school’s first South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors. Under Harris’ tutelage, Gunn took her game to another level, finishing the season ranked seventh in the nation in scoring (21.6) while posting the program’s third-highest single-season marks in both scoring average and total points (713).

Coach Harris was also instrumental in the development of one of the top three-point shooters in the nation, as freshman Kendal Baxter set a program- and SAC-record with 105 three-pointers, while surpassing what was believed to be the NCAA Division II mark for triples by a freshman. For her efforts, Baxter was named to the SAC All-Freshman Team.

The Pioneers set several team and Pioneer Arena records in Coach Harris’ first year at the helm, establishing a single-game SAC mark with 47 field goals made against Virginia Intermont on Dec. 30, 2009 as well as a program- and SAC-record with 35 steals. Tusculum’s victory over VIC also featured three additional Pioneer Arena records, including points scored (117), points allowed (38), and margin of victory (79).

Coach Harris joined the Pioneer family prior to the 2009-10 season after serving the last six seasons on the coaching staff at NCAA Division I UNC Asheville, including the past two years as associate head coach. Harris helped guide UNC Asheville to four winning seasons, including a 21-12 record in the Bulldogs’ 2006-07 campaign, culminating in a Big South Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, both firsts in school history.

In her first UNCA season, the Bulldogs posted a 19-9 record and finished second in the Big South Conference standings. UNCA’s 19 victories were a 16-win improvement from a season before (3-25), earning the squad NCAA Most Improved Team in the Nation honors.

Harris mentored nine All-Big South Conference honorees during her tenure at UNCA, including two Conference Freshmen of the Year, Brittany Hendley (2004) and Kyla Jones (2007).

The High Point, N.C. native played her collegiate career at Wake Forest University, where she was a four-year letter-winner for the Demon Deacons. During her senior campaign, she led Wake Forest with 108 assists and averaged 4.6 points per game, while also serving as team co-captain. She wrapped up her career 10th on Wake’s all-time list with 241 career assists. Harris graduated from Wake in 2002 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology.

Harris began her coaching career as an assistant coach at her prep alma mater T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point during the 2002-03 campaign. She also served as head coach of the Piedmont X-Press AAU team from 1998-2003. Harris has worked with numerous clinics and camps throughout the region. She is also a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association.

The Wake Forest graduate was born on May 1, 1980 and is the daughter of Joretta Harris. She has one brother, Jamel Harris.