Lamar University Athletics

A proven winner both as a player and as a coach, Robin Harmony has established the Lamar University Cardinals as one of the most successful teams in the Southland Conference.
 
Harmony, who was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year in 2017-18 after leading the Cardinals to the regular-season title with a 17-1 SLC record, enters her sixth season at LU. Over her first five seasons at LU, Harmony has posted a 91-61 (.599) overall record, including a 66-24 (.733) mark in Southland Conference games. The 66 conference wins are tied for the school record, while the .733 winning percentage is a program record.
 
Harmony has guided the Cardinals to two Southland Conference championships and three national postseason tournaments over her first five seasons at LU. During her tenure at LU, the Cardinals are especially tough to be at the Montagne Center. LU enters the 2017-18 season with 28 straight home-court victories, the second-longest active home winning streak in the nation. Overall, the Cardinals have won 82.4 percent of their home games under Harmony, posting a 56-12 record in the Montagne Center.
 
The Cardinals have enjoyed plenty of individual success under Harmony’s guidance. Guard Chastadie Barrs has been named the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. Kiara Desamours (2015-16) and Jadyn Pimentel (2017-18) have earned conference Freshman of the Year accolades, while Moe Kinard was the 2016-17 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year.
 
This past season, the Cardinals placed four players on the all-conference team, with Barrs and Kinard earning first-team honors, Kiandra Bowers being named to the second team and DeA’ngela Mathis earning third-team recognition. In Harmony’s five seasons, the Cardinals have had 11 all-conference selections.
 
The Cardinals have also been the best in the nation in several statistical categories. In each of the past two seasons, LU led the nation in steals, steals per game, turnover margin and turnovers forced. Individually, Barrs led the nation in steals and steals per game both seasons, while Bowers topped the nation in offensive rebounding in 2016-17, finishing second in 2017-18.

In 2016-17, Harmony guided the Cardinals to a 22-8 record, a 10-game improvement over the previous season, tied for the eighth-best improvement in the nation. The Cardinals went 15-3 in Southland Conference play last season, setting a school record for conference wins. The Cardinals were an impressive 15-0 at home in the Montagne Center.

Harmony and her staff have worked tirelessly in recruiting top student-athletes to Lamar University, several recruiting classes being ranked as the best in the Southland Conference.

Harmony came to LU from St. Thomas University, where she spent six seasons as the school’s first-ever women’s basketball coach, posting an impressive 131-48 record. Harmony, a two-time Sun Conference Coach of the Year, led the Bobcats to three appearances in the NAIA National Championships.

The Bobcats never had a losing season under Harmony, and went 27-4 with a perfect 14-0 Sun Conference record in her last season before losing in the first round of the NAIA National Championships.

A defensive-minded coach, Harmony’s philosophy paid off at St. Thomas as the Bobcats twice ranked second in the nation in scoring defense and twice were in the top five for steals per game, 3-point field-goal percentage defense and turnover margin.

Prior to her time as head coach at St. Thomas, Harmony spent 18 seasons on the coaching staff of her alma mater, the University of Miami, the last 12 seasons as associate head coach. Harmony acted as interim coach for two games in her final season with the Hurricanes, posting victories in both contests.

During her time at Miami, Harmony helped the Hurricanes win three Big East regular-season championships, two Big East Conference Tournament Championships, reaching the postseason seven times and advance to the Sweet 16 on one occasion.

Harmony, who was assistant women’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator for one season at Fairleigh Dickinson, was a standout player for the University of Miami. The first women’s basketball player inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame, Harmony totaled 1,308 points, 750 rebounds, 445 assists and 314 steals in 125 games.

Harmony set the school record for assists in a game with 14 in a contest against Florida International University on Dec. 4, 1982. She remains among the career leaders in points and rebounds at Miami.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in education and recreation form Miami, Harmony played one season of professional basketball in England, helping her club, the Avon Cosmetics, win a league championship while earning Most Valuable Player Honors.

Harmony, who earned a master’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas, is a graduate of Hershey (Pennsylvania) High School, where she was a three-year starter.