About a month ago, Auburn embarked on a journey to find a new head coach for its women’s basketball program after going winless in conference play this past season. Throughout the search, one name continued to come up repeatedly, according to athletic director Allen Greene.
That name was Johnnie Harris, who was formally introduced as the new women’s basketball coach for Auburn on Monday afternoon.
“When you think about why someone is special, you don’t have to look much further than who they surround themselves with,” Greene said. “The fact that this woman has been operating at a very, very high level for quite some time, it does nothing but give me great hope for the future of our women’s basketball program and a tremendous amount of excitement.”
There were several reasons why Harris decided to start her head coaching career at Auburn after spending over 20 years as an assistant coach at the collegiate level.
“It felt like family. It felt like somebody welcoming me into a family rather than an interview process,” Harris said of president Jay Gogue, athletic director Allen Greene and senior associate athletic director Monique Holland. “Their passion, their excitement, it just told me a whole lot about Auburn University.”
Harris spent last season at Texas but had been an assistant coach in the SEC for over fifteen seasons before that. She spent time at Arkansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, notably helping sign some of the nation's top recruiting classes year in and year out.
Now, she’s taking over her own program in the same conference where she spent so much time.
“Auburn has a rich history, you know, teams that have been in the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four,” Harris said. “ [Auburn]’s won conference championships, tournament championships. I definitely saw that. Again, the family atmosphere. There have been countless coaches that have reached out to me already and I’m going to fit with that.”
Men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl and head football coach Bryan Harsin are among those coaches that have reached out to Harris. Former Auburn women’s basketball star Ruthie Bolton also reached out to Harris via text message, welcoming her to the Plains.
“It just felt like home,” Harris said. “Everybody just speaks with so much passion, so much love for this University.”
Harris also talked about wanting her players to get involved off the court and in the community. It’s something that she’s done everywhere she’s been throughout her coaching community. It’s key in building a relationship with the fan base, which is key in building a successful program.
“Auburn is a family," Harris. "I can tell that just by everybody that I’ve met so far today. They’re family and I want that family to embrace our players. Our culture is going to be one of excitement. Our culture is going to be one of dignity, of trust, of loyalty, of just hard work.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
