With a combination of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, Eric Harrison has built an impressive resume during his 12 year tenure as head coach of the Lehman College Lightning. Continuing to build on his reputation as one of the top young coaches in the conference, Harrison helped guide the Women’s Basketball program to its elusive first conference title in 2007, as the Lightning put together a 19-9 overall record and a 10-4 conference mark before defeating the Baruch College Bearcats in the CUNYAC Championship game by a score of 52-51 on February 23, 2007. For his diligent efforts as skipper of the Lightning, Harrison was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his proud coaching career. In 2008, Coach Harrison led the Lightning back to the championship game after he guided the team to a 15-10 regular season record and an 11-2 conference mark. Lehman fell in the final to Baruch College in late February. Last season, the Lightning put forth a 20-11 overall mark, including a 10-3 conference record before falling to Baruch College 64-63 in a classic conference title game. Harrison is currently the all-time wins leader for women's basketball coaches at the institution as his coaching record is currently 169-132 (.561). The Lightning come into the 2009-2010 season revamped and ready to take aim at its first conference title since 2007.
Harrison's tireless work ethic and uncanny determination have been key in the solidification of the Lehman College Women's Basketball program. A trailblazer among coaches, Harrison's everlasting will to raise the bar for his teams indicate that the program will continue to shine for years to come.
Harrison runs a first class program from top to bottom. Every season, the primary goal of Coach Harrison is to build his team with aspirations of contending for a National title. "I want Lehman to be able to contend every season," said Harrison. "It is a goal of mine to have our student athletes continue to prosper both academically and on the court, year after year."
One of the reasons Harrison has been so successful is his ability to recruit some of the top players in the metropolitan area. During his tenure at Lehman, he has produced six CUNYAC Rookie of the Year winners, four CUNYAC Player of the Year, a Metropolitan Sports Writer’s Player of the Year, and a host of conference all-stars. His strong relationships with many of the nation’s top high school programs continue to entice some of the premiere players in the area to the Lehman College campus.
Four seasons ago, Coach Harrison earned his 100th career victory in just his sixth season at the helm. By doing so, he surpassed legendary coach Ted Hurwitz as the all-time winningest coach in Lehman College history. Harrison’s persistent efforts have helped the Lehman College Women’s Basketball program become of the premiere programs in the region.
Coach Harrison took an active roll in developing the game of women’s basketball in the New York City area. A familiar face on the national scene, he has used his strong ties to strengthen his basketball knowledge and the Lehman program. In the off-season, Coach Harrison and men’s basketball coach Steven Schulman host a basketball camp for boys and girls at Lehman College.
In addition to his camp at Lehman, Harrison also assists such legendary coaches as C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers), and Harry Perreta (Villanova) with summer basketball clinics. The past two summers have seen coach Harrison lend his expertise at the legendary Five-Star basketball camps. A student of the game, Coach Harrison is also a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Outside of his coaching responsibilities, Harrison is also the Assistant Athletic Director, and the scheduling coordinator. Coaching is inherited in the family, as his twin brother Derrick is a former head coach at CCNY, and is currently a marketing executive for the Pittsburgh Xplosion in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The Harrison twins made national headlines during the 1999-2000 season, as their teams faced off in a contest that was the first game featuring twin head coaches opposing each other.
Harrison is currently single and resides in the Bronx, New York.
