A clutch performer at the 3-point line
Chargers' arc shooter Chelsea Harrison delivers longer range to the basketball court
Andy Buss
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Sports
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Harrison has been a clutch performer for the Chargers this season, beginning with her 21-point excursion during her first time in the starting lineup for the Chargers against the Greyhounds of Indianapolis.
"I think she's one of the toughest players we've recruited in terms of she plays with no fear," head coach Claudette Charney said of her sharp-shooting freshman. "You know, her first college game she scored over 20. She's capable of doing a lot for us."
Even after instant success, Harrison turned her spotlight onto the team.
"I had confidence in my teammates and coaches," she said. "I was ready to play, and everyone believed in me."
Freshman teammate Katie Bildner said Harrison's sentiment is the norm with the Chargers: a team of support and togetherness.
"With all the girls, we all get along and joke around and have inside jokes," she said. "It's really cool. It's not like one person is ever singled out."
While this is true, Chelsea often singled out by onlookers for her smooth shot.
"Her forte is shooting it from the arc," Charney said. "She's a very good 3-point shooter. In her first game, it was phenomenal to see a player come out and do what she did. She's hit some big shots."
Harrison, who hails from the farm country of Lowell, Mich., credited her mental game to her older brothers, Bill, 25, and Dan, 22.
"My brothers were three-sport athletes in high school," Chelsea said. "They prepared me for the mental toughness of the game."
Bill said the natural sibling relationship is now reaping its benefits.
"I just think obviously having the big brother influence and pressuring her to succeed is currently paying dividends," he said.
To go along with this aggressiveness, Harrison began developing her skills in second grade - starting with YMCA and going right through high school and A.A.U. ball. Still, she's not quite sure when her sweet stroke hit its stride.
"I don't really know," she said. "It just comes naturally I guess. I try to shoot every day, but it just comes."
Her brother Bill said he thinks he may have some idea of where she learned to play string music from deep.
"She might have picked it up from her brothers," he said. "I would say she picked it up from me, but my brother would say she picked it up from him. The debate over the best shooter in the family is yet to be settled."
Bildner, who played against Harrison last summer in their local high school all-star game, said she thinks Harrison always has had the shooter's touch. She said the team doesn't worry when the ball leaves her hands.
"I think she's always been a great shooter," Bildner said. "We're all very confident when she puts it up."
Harrison, who said she's leaning towards a major in business or marketing management, has gotten a significant amount of playing time as the season progresses. According to Charney, it's well deserved.
"I've never had to ask her to work harder or run a sprint faster," Charney said. "There have been times where she's been frustrated on the floor, but she comes at it with a 'it's-not-gonna-happen-again' kind of attitude."
Harrison credits veteran players as mentors, especially junior guard Brooke Knight, contributing to her early success as a Charger.
"I look up to Brooke a lot," Harrison said. "When she's out she'll tell me what to do, and I do it. It helps a lot. Just having the upperclassmen encourage us helps a lot too. They've been really good role models."
Charney said she thinks the time Harrison spends watching and learning from Knight will be valuable for their connection on the court in the future.
"It's great that she gets to play with Brooke for two years," she said. "I think if she can learn as much as she can from Brooke, it will be a great thing."
Because of Harrison's versatility, willingness to learn and gritty play, Charney said she thinks Chelsea will thrive in her four years at Hillsdale.
"I predict she'll have a great career," she said.
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