July 19, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Jeff Harada, who most recently served as the head coach at Hawai'i Pacific, has been named as an assistant coach for the Navy women's basketball program by head coach Stefanie Pemper.
"I'm very excited to have Jeff on staff," said Pemper. "I was looking for someone who is talented on the court as a teacher and great administratively and Jeff is that and more. What he did at HPU was amazing. He showed an ability to recruit, to put in an offensive and defensive system that was effective for his personnel, to compete to win and to establish healthy values on a team. He's eager to get back to Division I and he'll provide rich experience for our staff. This is great timing for both of us."
Harada was the head coach of the Sea Warriors for the past four seasons. After the team won just two games in the season prior to his arrival, Hawai'i Pacific posted double-digit victories in each of the last three seasons and posted an overall record of 58-48 during his four years at the helm of the program. This includes a 36-14 record over the past two seasons. The Sea Warriors compiled a 14-2 record in winning the program's first Pacific West Conference title in 2010 and advancing to its first NCAA Division II Tournament. Harada was tabbed as the conference coach of the year that season.
A native of Honolulu, Harada was a three-sport (basketball, baseball, volleyball) letter winner at Hawai'i Baptist Academy. He was selected as the ILH Division II Player of the Year in basketball as a senior, while also garnering all-state accolades.
An injury curtailed Harada's collegiate basketball career at Colorado, but he remained associated with the program as a student manager. After participating in graduation ceremonies at the school in the spring of 1997, he immediately joined the men's basketball staff as a volunteer assistant coach. He would hold that position for two seasons before becoming the team's director of operations after the 1998-99 campaign. Harada served in that role until the conclusion of the 2000-01 season. During his time in Boulder the Buffaloes received a pair of NIT invitations and made one NCAA Tournament appearance.
After three years away from athletics, Harada became an assistant coach for the Hawai'i Pacific men's team in 2004. He was part of the men's staff for a total of two seasons before becoming the head coach of the women's team for the 2007-08 season.
In addition to his coaching positions at Hawai'i Pacific, Harada also served, at various times in his seven years at the school, as the department's sports information director and associate athletics director for compliance.
"I'm very excited to be joining Coach Pemper and her staff," said Harada. "She is a proven winner and you can feel the buzz she has created coming off the most successful season in program history. I'm grateful and proud to be a part of this program and am eager to begin working with the coaches, players and support staff to continue that success. The Naval Academy is an outstanding academic institution and its reputation is second to none. The opportunity to coach and mentor high quality student-athletes and future leaders is truly an honor. I am looking forward to competing in the Patriot League and living in the wonderful city of Annapolis."
"Jeff's experience in the highly competitive Big 12 Conference is a nice complement to his time at Hawai'i Pacific," said Pemper. "Jeff understands the intensity of Division I and is fully committed to helping Navy women's basketball compete for championships."
Harada fills the vacancy on the Navy staff that was created when Becky Geyer accepted the position of athletic director at the Texas Military Institute (The Episcopal School of Texas) in San Antonio, Texas.
"I'm very happy for Becky and I know she will work hard for TMI and be a fantastic athletic director," said Pemper. "Becky's experiences as a college coach combined with her ability to organize, communicate and oversee, will make her a talented athletic director. She'll be a terrific mentor to the coaching staff and a great colleague in the TMI community. It's an exciting move for she and (her son) Clifford to return to San Antonio."
