Harrison, Lisa

Born in Mount Washington, KY, Lisa Harrison was a 6'1" forward when she played high school basketball at Louisville Southern, where she scored more than 3,000 points. In 1989, she was named Miss Kentucky Basketball and Naismith Player of the Year. Harrison played college basketball at the University of Tennessee from 1989 to 1993; Tennessee won the 1991 NCAA Championship. She was a Naismith finalist her senior year when she averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds. Harrison's professional career began in 1996 when she played one year with the Columbus Quest and two years with the Portland Power, both teams part of the now defunct American Basketball League (ABL), which had its first season in 1996. Harrison was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletics Association's Hall of Fame in 1998. She was picked up by the Phoenix Mercury in the 1999 WNBA draft, stayed with the team until 2003, then rejoined it in 2005. She played in 160 games, averaging 6.8 points and 4 rebounds. Harrison was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2006, she was hired as an outreach coordinator at the University of Louisville Athletics Department. For more see J. Pitts, "High school basketball: Anderson, Harrison named Naismith players of year," USA Today, 03/23/1989; J. Quick, "Portland Power player profiles," The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), 10/13/1996; and Mercury Re-Signs Lisa Harrison, 05/20/2005, a WNBA web page.