TOWSON, Md. — For Laura Harper it is a move up the street. She feels like she is up in the clouds.
"It still feels like a dream," she said. "I think I’m still very much in the 'pinch myself' mode of it all."
Harper was introduced as Towson University’s new head women’s basketball coach on Thursday. The 36-year-old arrives after coaching Coppin State for the last two seasons. She is the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
"When you think of Towson women’s basketball they are champions," she said. "I know, for myself, winning is important."
She did plenty of that as a player, leading University of Maryland to the 2006 National Championship. At Towson she replaces her former assistant coach with the Terps, Diane Richardson, who left the Tigers for Temple after five years. In that time Towson captured its first Colonial Athletic Association title and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers are coming off a 24-8 season and a trip to the WNIT.
"This roster is so exciting," said Harper. "There is so much talent from every single position."
Rising senior guard Ryann Evans is from Columbia. She grew up a huge Terps fan.
"We just want to be a sponge. We are in front of greatness right now. There is so much we can learn from her. We are a championship caliber team," said Evans.
This is the first hire for new Towson Athletics Director Steve Eigenbrot.
"Laura is young. She’s got a lot of energy. I think she is going to connect to this roster really well," he said.
"We’re going to play fast. We’re going to rebound. We’re going to run," added Harper. "I was telling [the team] this isn’t a broken record. This is a platinum edition right here."
As for what she leaves at Coppin:
"I know I left that program better than it was when I got there," she said. "So, hopefully they feel empowered and they know how good they truly can be and I’m going to be their biggest fan from afar."
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
