Former Maryland star joins Juan Dixon as coach at Coppin State

Laura Harper, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Final Four when the Terps’ women won their first national title, was announced as the new head coach of the Eagles women’s basketball team on Monday.

Maryland now has two former players leading the basketball programs at Coppin State.

Laura Harper, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Final Four when the Terps’ women won their first national title, was announced as the new head coach of the Eagles women’s basketball team on Monday. Juan Dixon, who led the Terps’ men to their first national title four years earlier, has been the head coach of the university’s men’s basketball team since 2017.

"It is a dream come true to be named the new head women's basketball coach at Coppin State University," Harper said in a press release. "I am very thankful for the special opportunity that President Jenkins, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Person and Mrs. Carrington-Johnson have granted me. Having a platform as a woman of color, while coaching at an HBCU during this racially sensitive time in our country, inspires me, and I am beyond ready to help lead this group of committed, young women into a new era of Eagles basketball."

The 34-year-old Harper spent last season as the head coach at Montverde Academy, a Florida prep school that saw all five of its senior women’s basketball players sign with D-I basketball programs this spring. She previously served as an D-I assistant coach at Loyola (Md.), High Point, George Washington and Florida. She also played under one of the top women’s college basketball coaches in the country, Brenda Freese, while at Maryland.

"We are excited for to be joining the Coppin State family and look forward to her leadership during the next exciting phase of Eagles women's basketball," said Coppin State director of athletics Derek Carter. "Laura will bring incredible passion, energy, and a championship mentality to our team. Throughout her career, she has worked hard to establish herself as a winner in all phases of basketball. I feel that she will provide a valuable influence in the lives of the young women in our program."

Harper, a Philadelphia native, arrived at Maryland in 2004, and averaged 10 points or more in each of her four seasons with the Terps to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1 steal per game. She was selected 10th overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2008 WNBA Draft but was hampered by injuries throughout her career, missing two full seasons before retiring following the 2012-13 season. Her No. 15 jersey was raised to the Xfinity Center rafters in 2009.

"Coppin State is getting one of the most passionate people we've ever had in our program,” Freese said in a statement. “I am thrilled for her and for our local community. She will be great for the players at Coppin, because she fully understands what it takes to be successful. Laura is a fun person who makes friends easily. We had a great player-coach relationship at Maryland and I think she will model that. She's also well connected in both our area and Philadelphia, which should serve her well in building the program. A lot of people will want to help her be successful. I'm excited to see them play and see her take this next step."

Harper formed a dynamic inside-out duo at Maryland with Kristi Toliver, who has also found coaching success. Toliver is in her second year as a full-time assistant on the Washington Wizards staff, and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Sparks in February to continue her playing career after leading the Washington Mystics to their first WNBA title last year.

The Coppin State men’s program has slowly improved under Dixon, moving up in the KenPom.com rankings in each of his first three seasons. The Eagles went 11-20 last year, including a 7-9 mark in conference play, and ended the season on a three-game win streak.