In 1999 the WNBA was only two years old, and had a field of twelve teams.
Ten years prior Louisville’s Lisa Harrison had been named Kentucky Miss Basketball. A stand out from Southern High School, Harrison was so dominant on the court that Parade magazine named the young athlete the high school player of the years.
With the talent the forward possessed, college scouts were inevitable and as such, Harrison signed on with women’s college basketball powerhouse Tennessee beginning in the 1990 season. A year later, Harrison was a major factor in the Volunteers women’s NCAA championship.
Upon graduation, Harrison wasn’t able to find too much opportunity for women’s professional basketball, however when the American Basketball Association was formed in 1996, after increasing popularity of women’s basketball Harrison quickly found a place with the Columbus Quest, where she again was a major factor in a league championship.
In the following season the now pro Harrison moved to Oregon to play for the Portland Power where she suited up for two years prior to the league closing its doors officially.
However, by this point the WNBA was gaining momentum and in 1999 as the ABL ended, Harrison was drafted to the Phoenix Mercury, where she played as a notable athlete until 2002, during her time in Phoenix Harrison was named to the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.
More recently, the now veteran player became an outreach coordinator for the athletic department back home at the University of Louisville in 2006.
Outside Sources
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