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Harper Taylor is the new women鈥檚 basketball coach at Kansas Wesleyan, but she is not new to the university.
Taylor was an assistant under former Coyote coach Ryan Showman for two seasons before moving on as an assistant at Division II Metro State Denver the last two years.
鈥淚 get to go back and continue to build better relationships as a head coach versus an assistant and I鈥檓 just really excited to do that,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great university that I get to be a part of, and I just can鈥檛 wait to build on that.鈥�
Taylor helped 黑料不打烊 win 41 games (32 in the Kansas Conference) during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. She was also a graduate assistant at Division I Texas El Paso during the 2019-20 season.
鈥淔irst and foremost, her energy,鈥� 黑料不打烊 Athletic Director Miguel Paredes said. 鈥淗er familiarity with Kansas Wesleyan and Salina, and she鈥檚 a proven leader. Her mission and values align with what we鈥檙e doing here, her clear vision of building a culture of excellence and how we can continue the success. We鈥檙e not stopping and trying to rebuild but are reloading. Her student-athlete development academically, socially, spiritually was a big plus for me as well. She demonstrated what a confident leader should be 鈥� she reminds me of (former Tennessee coach) Pat Summitt in a way.鈥�
鈥淐oach Taylor is a great choice for our new women鈥檚 basketball leader,鈥� said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. 鈥淗er familiarity with our area, our campus and the schools in our region will prove invaluable in continuing our winning tradition. We look forward to seeing her accomplishments.鈥�
Taylor credits Showman for convincing her to stay the course with her career.
鈥淲ith the Covid pandemic I was kind of in a place where I was really questioning if I should continue being in this profession,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e showed me the ropes and gave me a lot of grace and showed me how to do things successfully and how to do things with integrity. I would not be where I鈥檓 at in my coaching journey if it weren鈥檛 for Showman. I feel like everything that I learned from not only him but also Tanya Haave (Metro State coach) at the Division II level has put me in the most successful position to be a head coach.鈥�
Paredes said that became apparent during the search.
鈥淭he fact that she鈥檚 been at all levels and her experience is what helped set her apart from the other candidates,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e wanted a person who can see what it takes to have those types of athletes and knows what to look for in the recruiting aspect. Everybody thinks they鈥檙e a Division I athlete, if not then at least Division II, and I think Harper has a keen eye. I asked her, 鈥榳hat do you think we need to do have a great year?鈥� She said, 鈥榳e need speed, we need size,鈥� and she鈥檚 right on point.鈥�
Taylor said energy and defense will be hallmarks of her teams.
鈥淓veryone can expect a team that鈥檚 going to be really loud because I鈥檓 a very communicative person,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very vocal about what I want and how I want things done. Coyote fans are going to see we have a really loud bench and we鈥檙e going to be super loud on the court. And we鈥檙e going to get it done on the defensive end. I think I can work with our offense and bring in some recruiting pieces, but our philosophy is going to be built on the defensive end.鈥�
Taylor was a standout athlete at Greeley West High School in Greeley, Colo., averaging 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in her senior year. She began her college career at Nebraska-Kearney then transferred to Hastings (Neb.) for her final three seasons. She helped the Broncos advance to the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship twice and the quarterfinals once.
鈥淪he brings the excitement, she brings the discipline, and she brings the drive and the hunger to be successful,鈥� Paredes said.
Taylor will begin her duties June 9.
