Harris joins Smith's Ducks as director of operations.
Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-GuardTaking a measured approach to her transition from high school coaching to the collegiate ranks, Velaida Harris has joined the Oregon women's basketball program as its director of operations.
Harris was a successful prep and AAU coach in the Portland area for more than a decade before taking a break this past winter to consider a jump to colleges. She passed up two offers of assistant coaching positions, she said, in order to join the Ducks as the replacement for Natasha Ruckwardt, who served five seasons as Oregon's first director of women's basketball operations.
"This allows me to get in at the ground level and see how everything works, before jumping in and losing myself," said Harris, 35, who played at Portland State from 1989-93.
Harris won better than 70 percent of her games as head coach at Portland's Lincoln High School, from 1997-2004, and Lake Oswego High, from 2004-06. She was also a prominent AAU coach in the area, and worked three Nike all-American camps.
For the past three years, including the two seasons at Lake Oswego, Harris served as assistant director of youth sports for the 13-school Lake Oswego School District.
Having complemented her coaching resume with those three years in administration, Harris and UO coach Bev Smith believe Harris aptly qualified for the role of director of operations, with responsibilities that include coordinating the program's travel plans and summer camps.
"She's has had her foot in both areas," Smith said. "But No. 1, she's a great people person. She's known throughout the state because of her ability to relate to people and coach young women. Although her responsibilities in that area will be limited, she's a great role model and can handle both sides of the job."
Directors of operations are limited by the NCAA in their involvement with both practices and recruiting.
Still, Smith acknowledged, "certainly her name association with our program is a big plus for us."
Harris said she has grown to respect Smith while observing Oregon's recruiting efforts in the Portland area, including the Ducks' attempt to sign Lauren Greif, a Lincoln graduate who ultimately enrolled at California.
"I like what Bev's trying to do and how she works with the kids," said Harris, who spent time observing programs throughout the Northwest, including Oregon and Washington, while contemplating the move to the college ranks.
"I think she's pretty honest. I think she's pretty caring. I think she knows basketball. I really like what she's doing and the people she's surrounded herself with."
Smith interviewed two other candidates for the position. She said Harris understood the role of the director of operations and the job's "all-encompassing" time commitment as well as Ruckwardt did.
And while Harris described herself as being "on a 5- or 6-year plan" in regards to becoming a college coach, Smith said she asked for no extended commitment from Harris upon hiring her.
"With coaching situations, people are always aspiring to something, something higher up, and you want people like that," Smith said.
"You want them to have ambition, to develop themselves as a person.
"And I think she'll have the opportunity to do that in this situation."
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| Title Annotation: | Sports; Successful prep and AAU coach in Portland makes her move to collegiate ranks |
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| Publication: | The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) |
| Date: | Jun 12, 2007 |
| Words: | 532 |
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