THE HARPER FILE

Personal Information

Name: Jon Harper
Birthday: May 1, 1976
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.
High School: Tucker High School
Education: B.S. (Health Promotion/Sports Mgmt.), Auburn, 1999
Spouse: Kellie Harper
Children: Jackson, Kiley

Basketball Experience

OVERALL

Career coaching record is 451-289 in 23 years as an assistant
Has helped programs to 19 postseason berths (12 NCAA/7 WNIT)
Helped guide two different programs to the NCAA Sweet 16 (Tennessee-2, Missouri State-1)

TENNESSEE

Assistant Coach (2019-24)
Three-year record: 108-52
Program remained perfect in NCAA Tournament appearances with its 42nd in 2024
Aided UT's run to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16s in 2022 & 2023
Helped UT post four straight third-place SEC finishes from 2019-23
Coached four WNBA first-round draft picks from 2021-24

MISSOURI STATE

Assistant Coach (2013-19)
Six-year record: 118-79
Served on head coach Kellie Harper’s staff
Team won two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championships (2016 & 2019)
Program made two NCAA appearances (2016 & 2019) and three WNIT berths (2015, 2017, 2018)
Squad advanced to the 2019 NCAA Sweet 16
Helped Lady Bears to first national ranking In 15 years (24th in final 2019 USA Today Sports Coaches Poll)

NORTH CAROLINA STATE

Assistant Coach (2009-13)
Four-year record: 70-64
Served on head coach Kellie Harper’s staff
Tutored four different players to a combination of All-ACC, All-ACC Freshman, ACC All-Tournament honors and ACC Freshman of the Year awards
Helped guide Wolfpack to three postseason appearances (2010 NCAA / 2012 & 2013 WNIT)
Program claimed victories over six top-25 teams in four seasons

WESTERN CAROLINA

Assistant Coach (2004-09)
Five-year record: 97-65
Served on head coach Kellie Harper’s staff
Assisted as Catamounts made four postseason berths in five seasons, including NCAA Tournaments in 2005 and 2009
Teams he assisted won the school’s first two Southern Conference Tournament titles in school history
Worked with the backcourt players and helped produce five all-conference selections and the Southern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008
Three of those squads placed in the WBCA Academic Top 25

CHATTANOOGA

Assistant Coach (2001-04)
Three-year record: 78-15
Served on head coach Wes Moore’s staff
Coached alongside wife and fellow assistant Kellie Harper
Worked with post players at UTC
The Mocs won three straight Southern Conference titles
Chattanooga went to three straight NCAA Tournaments

AUBURN

Manager (1996-99)
Three-year record: 58-29
Served on three-time NCAA Coach of the Year Joe Ciampi’s staff
Served as head manager in 1998-99 and was an intern and practice player for the program as well
Lady Tigers won the 1997 SEC Tournament Championship and made NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1999
The Tigers advanced to the 2001 NCAA Tournament Second Round

The 2023-24 campaign was year five at Tennessee and season 23 as an assistant coach for Jon Harper, including his 20th campaign as an assistant to spouse Kellie Harper after he joined the Lady Vol staff on April 15, 2019. The Harpers have worked together since they were assistants at Chattanooga from 2001-04.

During Harper's five seasons on Rocky Top, UT forged a combined 108-52 overall mark and 53-24 record in SEC play, notching four third-place league finishes (2019-23) and advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinals in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and title game in 2023. UT qualified for NCAA play each year and carded trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2023, making the program one of only seven to advance to that round during both of those seasons.

In 2023-24, Tennessee was hit by untimely and devastating injuries that stymied the team's momentum, resulting in a 20-13 overall mark and 10-6 record in the league (t4th) against a schedule rated the toughest in the nation. Still, the Big Orange managed a tie for fourth in the SEC, an appearance in at least the SEC semifinals for the fourth straight year and a 42nd-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament.

UT was 25-12 overall and 13-3 in the SEC in 2022-23, advancing to the SEC Tournament title game and making it to the NCAA Sweet 16. Combined with a 25-9/11-5 outcome in 2021-22, the Lady Vols recorded 25 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14 and 2014-15, and they reached 13 SEC victories for the first time since 2014-15. In addition to advancing to their first SEC Tourney title game since 2015, they made repeat Sweet 16 appearances for the initial time since 2014-15 and 2015-16.

During Harper’s time at Tennessee, he joined his spouse in coaching four WNBA first-round picks in Rennia Davis (2021), Rae Burrell (2022), Jordan Horston (2023) and Rickea Jackson (2024). It marked the first time in school history that UT had players selected in the first round in four consecutive seasons. Pat Summitt produced the previous best with three-straight first-round picks in 2001 (Tamika Catchings), 2002 (Michelle Snow) and 2003 (Gwen Jackson, Kara Lawson). Tennessee is the only women’s program to have two different head coaches accomplish that feat.

In 2022, Alexus Dye also earned a shot at the WNBA, going to camp with the Connecticut Sun. Previously, Lou Brown and Kasiyahna Kushkituah earned opportunities to play professionally overseas following their Lady Vol careers.

Davis (2020 & 2021 AP/USBWA/WBCA), Horston (2022 & 2023 AP/WBCA) and Rickea Jackson (2023 AP/USBWA/WBCA & 2024 AP/USBWA/WBCA) were All-America Honorable Mention selections under Harper’s tutelage, and Davis claimed the Senior Class Award in 2021 as well.

At the league level, Harper tutored All-SEC First-Teamers Davis (2020, 2021), Horston (2022, 2023) and Jackson (2023, 2024); All-SEC Second-Teamers Burrell (2021) and Tamari Key (2022); SEC All-Defensive Team member Key (2021, 2022); SEC All-Freshman Team honorees Horston (2020), Marta Suárez (2021) and Sara Puckett (2022); and SEC All-Tournament Team members Alexus Dye (2022), Horston (2023) and Jackson (2023, 2024).

In the classroom, 22 of 33 Lady Vols playing for Harper earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition a total of 47 times during his five-year tenure. A program-best 12 of 14 Lady Vols made the honor roll in 2021-22, while nine (of 13) made it in 2020-21, nine (of 14) in 2023-24, nine (of 15) in 2022-23 and eight (of 12) in 2019-20. That ’19-20 group carded a Lady Vol best-ever GPA of 3.48.

With Harper's help, high school recruits and players in the transfer portal were drawn to a program headed by a head coach with valuable experiences as a player who reached the pinnacle at the all-time winningest program in women’s college basketball history. Tennessee was able to keep the previously signed No. 9 class (Jordan Horston, Tamari Key) intact when the Harpers were hired in 2019, managed to ink future starters Tess Darby, Keyen Green (portal), Marta Suárez and Jordan Walker (portal) during the pandemic in 2020, and followed with a No. 15-ranked group in 2021 (including future starters Sara Puckett and Karoline Striplin).

He also aided in adding seven more players through the transfer portal, including key contributors Rickea Jackson, Jillian Hollingshead, Jasmine Powell and Jasmine Franklin in 2022 and the nation’s No. 6 ranked portal class in 2023 by 247Sports in Jewel Spear, Destinee Wells, Avery Strickland and Talaysia Cooper. No. 35 espnW 100 class of 2024 prep recruit Kaniya Boyd also joined the program in January 2024 as an early enrollee.

In six seasons at Missouri State, his previous stop, Harper mentored players who earned a total of 15 All-Missouri Valley Conference selections, including two-time first-team picks in Kenzie Williams and Liza Fruendt, 2016 MVC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Tyonna Snow, 2018 first-team selection Alexa Willard and 2019 first-team choice Danielle Gitzen.

The Lady Bears accumulated 118 wins, five top-three MVC finishes and five postseason berths with Harper on staff, including a 2016 NCAA Tournament appearance after a 24-10 record and MVC Tournament championship and a 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 finish with a 25-10 record and MVC tourney title.

While at North Carolina State from 2009-13, Harper tutored four different players to a combination of All-Atlantic Coast Conference, All-ACC Freshman, all-tournament honors and a league Freshman of the Year award. Harper helped a team that was predicted to finish ninth in the ACC to a fifth-place finish and NCAA Tournament berth in 2010, as well as a pair of WNIT appearances his final two seasons there.

Prior to NC State, Harper spent five years as an assistant coach at Western Carolina with Kellie, and before that three seasons at Chattanooga, before heading to WCU with Kellie for the 2004-05 campaign.

During his time at Western Carolina, Harper worked with the backcourt players and helped produce five all-conference selections and the Southern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. The Catamounts advanced to the postseason four of his five years on staff, including a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Harper got the coaching bug while serving as a practice player and then manager at Auburn for three seasons from 1996-99, and he worked his way up to numerous administrative responsibilities with the team.

While he was at Auburn, the Lady Tigers compiled a 58-29 record that included the 1997 SEC Tournament Championship and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1999.

Harper joined the Auburn team as a practice player and then manager, starting in 1996-97, and worked up to head manager in 1998-99. That season, he was charged with increasing responsibilities that included overseeing the male practice players that scrimmaged the Lady Tigers. He eventually served an internship with the coaching staff.

Harper earned his bachelor’s degree in health promotion/sports management in March 1999 and in May of that year married the former Kellie Jolly. After receiving his degree, Harper taught physical education and was an assistant football coach at Lee-Scott Academy in Auburn. He then moved into private business before joining the basketball coaching ranks on the Chattanooga staff.

The Harpers welcomed their first child, son Jackson, in November 2013, and had a daughter, Kiley, in June 2018.