Lindenwood women’s basketball head coach Tony Francis announced today that Morgan Harrington will return to St. Charles as an assistant coach for the Lady Lions. Harrington was the top player during Francis’ first two seasons at Lindenwood.

"I am extremely humbled Morgan chose to return to Lindenwood and continue the championship building process as a coach, that same one she started four years ago as a player," said Francis. "Morgan’s background as a high-profile player, her mental acuity in breaking down the game, and her relentless work ethic will allow her to make an immediate connection with our players, as well as becoming a great role model for our young ladies. It goes without saying that Morgan is a dynamic young talent in this profession and we are blessed to have her back."

"I’m very excited to be back at Lindenwood University and work with the staff that I played under," said Harrington. "Lindenwood was great to me as a student-athlete. Under the guidance and influence of Coach Francis I became successful on and off the court. I’m looking forward to working with the team and develop them as players and young women. Basketball is the tool I chose to use to positively impact young women as it impacted my life right here at Lindenwood. I’m blessed and ecstatic to be part of this program and university."

Harrington transferred to Lindenwood in 2010 and played two seasons for the Lady Lions. In her first season, she helped a Lindenwood team that won just nine games the previous season go 21-10 and finish second in conference play. The next season, while Lindenwood began its transition to the NCAA level, Harrington helped the Lady Lions continue their winning ways with a 17-10 mark.

Harrington averaged 11.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists a game during her Lady Lions career. She is the school’s all-time top free-throw shooter, making over 90 percent of her attempts throughout her two seasons.

In her first season at Lindenwood, she was named an honorable mention NAIA All-American. That year, she also was named a first-team all-conference performer and was the conference Newcomer of the Year.

After leaving Lindenwood, Harrington was a graduate assistant coach at NCAA Division I Murray State for two years. Among her duties at Murray State, Harrington was in charge of film exchange and film editing, developing scouting reports, managing and purchasing equipment, the team’s community service, summer camps, and coordination of the team’s travel. She helped coach two guards who earned OVC All-Newcomer honors, including one OVC Freshman of the Year, and another guard earned all-conference accolades.

Harrington’s collegiate playing career started at NCAA Division I Missouri State. She appeared in 28 games as a freshman and averaged over 13 minutes a game. She recorded the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team and averaged 2.4 points a game.

Prior to college, Harrington was one of the best women’s basketball players to come out of Belleville East High School. She ranked nine in school history in points and was second in career assists. She was a four-time member of the all-state team, and was also a four-time all-area selection.

Harrington graduated from Lindenwood with a bachelor of arts degree in Sports Management in 2012, and recently earned her MBA from Murray State. Harrington was on the Dean’s List both years that she attended Lindenwood, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lindenwood.

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