Lehman coach sets CUNY conference record

Posted

When Eric Harrison was an undergraduate at Potsdam State College in upstate New York back in the early 1990s, life was all about possibilities. A liberal arts major, Harrison wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do with his life yet, what career path he might choose.

Suffice to say, coaching women’s basketball was not even on his radar.

But when college ended for Eric and his twin brother Derrick, life in the real world of subway rides and cubicle confinement for eight hours a day didn’t hold much appeal.

“I basically got into coaching when we both came home from college and me and my brother really weren’t ready to go into the work force,” Harrison said. “So we started working and coaching in a lot of summer leagues and basketball camps and all of a sudden this job opened here at Lehman. I had some pretty good experience at training players and working them out so I came in for an interview and the rest is history.”

History being the operative word here as this past Nov. 18, in a one-point victory over St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn, Eric Harrison became the women’s basketball all-time leader in victories in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Not a bad accomplishment for a guy who thought a coaching gig at Lehman would be a mere pit stop on his way to better things.

“I thought this was going to be a couple of years and I’d then move on,” said Harrison, who is now in his 18th year as head coach of the Lightning. “But this wound up as my home. I’ve had some great players over my time here and I wanted to stay here for them. So that’s pretty much the reason why I’m still here.”

And if you hang around long enough, a bit of history is bound to find you, which is exactly what happened to Harrison on the night of Nov. 18 when Lehman senior forward Amani Lightbourne sank a game-winning shot just as time expired as Lehman knocked off St. Joe’s of Brooklyn, 85-84, in the Lightning’s home opener. It was the 254th victory of Harrison’s career, putting him alone atop the CUNYAC record books in wins.

Eric Harrison, Lehman College, Sean Brennan
Page 1 / 4

Comments