Charles Harral joined the Lamar University men’s basketball staff in June 2021 becoming the second assistant hired by head coach Alvin Brooks. Harral has been with head coach Alvin Brooks every step of the way with the Lamar rebuild. Starting with a two-win season during the first year in the Golden Triangle, the Cardinals have improved every year - a stat made even more impressive with the fact that LU has improved despite having lost its leading scorer each season.
The rise of the program was never more evident than the Cardinals' 20-win season and trip to the SLC tournament championship game as the league's No. 2 seed in 2024-25. Despite falling just short of a trip to the NCAA Championships, the Cardinals recorded 20 wins for the first time since 2018-19, recorded its highest tournament seed since 2008 and set a single-season school record for conference wins (14). All of this coming off the heels of a 19-win season the year before. The Cardinals have made a 19-win improvement from year one to Harral's fourth year with the program.
Harral brings 11 years of head coaching experience with him to the Golden Triangle as a highly successful leader at Arizona Western College (Yuma, Ariz.). During his time in Yuma, Harral blazed a trail of success that will go down as a high-water mark in the Matador record books. A three-time ACCAC Coach of the Year selection, Harral won more than 200 games (217) and posted an .711 winning percentage.
In addition to the overall win total, Harral guided the Matadors to four regional titles and the 2019 district championship. Following the 2018-19 season, he was also named district coach of the year.
The Matadors averaged 21 wins per season and never posted a sub-.500 record under Harral’s direction. Harral had the Matadors in the spotlight advancing to the postseason every year, including five consecutive trips to the Region I championship game.
Harral’s players also reaped the benefit of his leadership producing five NJCAA All-Americans. He leaves AWC as the third all-time winningest coach in program history.
Prior to his time at AWC, Harral served on staff at Weber State in Odgen, Utah. During his two years in Ogden, the Wildcats posted a 45-21 (.682) overall record, a 28-4 (.875) league mark, recorded two 20-win campaigns, two Big Sky Conference regular-season titles and two NIT postseason appearances.
In addition to the team’s success, Harral also helped coach arguably the program’s greatest player in 2012 first-round selection (No. 6 overall pick) Damian Lillard. An 11-year NBA veteran, Lillard is a seven-time All-NBA selection who was named NBA Rookie of the Year during his first season with Portland. A multiple-time NBA Player of the Week selection, Lillard has averaged nearly 30 points per game during his career.
Harral joined the WSU coaching staff after a two-year stint as an assistant at South Plains Junior College. During the 2007-08 season, the Texans posted a 30-5 (.857) overall record and won the NJCAA National Championship.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Harral received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech in 2003. Following his graduation, Harral accepted a graduate coaching position at UTEP with Billy Gillespie. He received his Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies from UTEP in 2005. After graduation, Harral accepted his first full-time coaching position at Arkansas-Fort Smith where he helped coach the Lions to an NJCAA Championship. Harral, and his wife Jenny, have six children - Trenton, Charlotte, Dalton, Evelyn, Brennan and Lincoln.
